


The President Wears Prada

by spinebuster



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, Toronto Maple Leafs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 192,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24253183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinebuster/pseuds/spinebuster
Summary: [ a modern re-telling of the 2006 movie “The Devil Wears Prada” ]Aberdeen Bloom, a recent graduate from the University of Toronto, moves to downtown Toronto and somehow lands the job – executive assistant to Brendan Shanahan, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  “A million people would kill for your job,” she keeps being told about the man, the team, and the company she knows nothing about.  “It’s the dream job.”So things shouldn’t get complicated.  Right?
Relationships: William Nylander/Original Character(s), William Nylander/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 64





	1. Prologue

**June 21 st, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was moving out.

Last week, she graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English with a double minor in film and classics. The most…well, basic of all degrees, to be honest. It wasn’t like she stuck out – some savant with a PhD in thermonuclear astrophysics or something. She was just a simple girl with a good degree from a great university. The graduation ceremony had been beautiful at least, and she got to wear the fancy black robe and the white fur trimmed hood and the fancy hat. It was all very nice. Her whole family was there – mom and dad, so proud as she walked across the stage; her older sister giving a dignified, lawyerly clap; her younger brother just happy to have the day off school.

Oh yeah – and she was looking for a job. 

What Aberdeen _really_ wanted to do was write – for anything, really (except _The National Post_ because that was a Conservative rag that she could use to wipe her ass). Newspaper, magazines, online editorials – didn’t matter to her. Hell, even creative writing – writing was all she wanted to do.

Except writing didn’t pay well. At least for an unestablished 21-year-old recent graduate from Toronto with no formal internships or experiences under her belt, and no real…well, _writing_ to her name besides the two times she was published in _Acta Victoriana_ , Victoria College’s prestigious literary journal, and the one time she was published in the _Hart House Review_. She didn’t have a massive portfolio like some of her classmates, or fancy parents with fancy friends who knew other fancy people that could get them internships at _Macleans_ or _The Walrus_ or other literary magazines. Aberdeen had herself, her published work, and her unwavering work ethic. 

No newspapers had contacted her after she sent her resume. No magazines had contacted her after she sent her resume. No online websites contacted her after seeing her resume.

So Aberdeen was looking for a job.

The bank teller job she had in the meantime – one that she’d had since her first year of university – wasn’t the be all, end all. It was nice, and easy, and her boss was a good boss, and they gave her decent hours (and were always lenient during exams) and she made decent money (which she always saved), but she’d outgrown it. She needed to be a _career_ woman now. She needed to find something she was passionate about – not just something that paid the rent (but we’ll get to that). She needed to find something where she could work with cool people, do cool things, _write_ cool things, and be downtown. And she needed to find it _fast_. Staff writer. Copy editor. Editor. Creative director. _Editor-in-chief._

_Aberdeen, you’re twenty-one._

She had to bank (no pun intended) on herself. Which is why she made the executive decision to move downtown with one of her best friends, Kasha. Kasha was a year older than her, and had already graduated and was working for a real estate company while studying for her real estate licence. She had lived in this very apartment since first-year university. Their dads were friends too, so when Aberdeen mentioned wanting to move out, Kasha offered the second bedroom. Rent would only be $1200 a month. They were on the 23rd floor of a condo on Nelson Street, right across from the Shangri-La. 

She could do this. She could make this work.

“I can’t believe my baby is leaving home,” her father Mirza stood in the doorway of the bedroom, arms crossed over her chest as he tried not to cry. They had finished building all of the Ikea furniture they bought – a day bed (because it was really all that could fit), a dresser, a small desk, a bookshelf, and a cat tree – and hauling her clothes and some books up from the family car. The last thing they brought up was Minerva, Aberdeen’s cat – the cat she showed up with at home with during the first few months of university and went “ _Surprise!_ ” to her parents. Despite that little surprise, he looked at his daughter throwing some pillows onto her new bed and he couldn’t help but have to look away.

“Hey! She’s not the baby! I am!” her eleven-year-old brother Camden complained from beside his father, tugging on Mirza’s sleeve near his elbow. “Remember me?”

Aberdeen shot a playful glare at her baby brother. “Stop it. Dad’s trying to have a moment.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Will you shut your mouth,” Aberdeen’s older sister, Siena, scolded Camden. “Have you realized this is going to be the first time in your life you’re not going to have either of your sisters at home with you?”

Siena, Aberdeen’s older sister, had been living in Ottawa for the past two years for law school, and was due back later tonight to start a summer job at a law firm. If all went well, Siena would be articling somewhere soon, then taking the bar, passing it, and becoming a full-fledged lawyer. Aberdeen looked up to her a lot because Siena was so level-headed. Where Aberdeen was impulsive, Siena thought things through. Where Aberdeen freaked out about stuff, Siena put thought into things. She was the perfect older sister, and Aberdeen missed Siena while she was in Ottawa, mostly because they were so close. Even though they spoke on the phone or through FaceTime together every few days, it wasn’t like having Siena in Toronto. Aberdeen hoped that whatever firm Siena would article with would be in Toronto. 

“Can I turn your bedroom into a video game room?”

“Camden, any more of this and there’ll be less of it,” Aberdeen’s mother Orla warned Camden in her still thick Northern Irish accent, pinching him on his arm as a playful punishment. He was pinched often for his smart-aleck comments. She focused her attention to her middle daughter. “Aberdeen…I can’t believe the day is finally here.”

“Don’t start mom.”

“Let me have this moment,” she said. “I cried when Siena left for Ottawa, now I’m going to cry about you, too.”

As Orla hugged Aberdeen, Aberdeen looked towards Siena, who was rolling her eyes playfully. “Mom…I’m a twenty-minute drive from Etobicoke.”

“Thirty-five in traffic. And Lord knows Toronto is a city that loves traffic.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. “Have you measured how long it takes on the subway?”

“Thirty minutes if you’re going to Royal York Station,” Kasha’s voice popped in from the doorway. The Bloom Family turned to greet her warmly, with Siena giving her an extra long hug. When Kasha was done hugging everybody, she put her hands in her pockets. “All set?”

“I am,” Aberdeen nodded her head as confidently as she could.

***

Aberdeen was already in her bedroom, maybe sulking, looking out at the skyline of Toronto. It was nothing new to her – hell, she’d grown up here (well, in Etobicoke) and gone to school down here for four years – but there was something magic about seeing it lit up at dusk, and finally at night. 

She heard a light knock at her door. “Come in,” she called out to Kasha.

Kasha opened the door slowly. “What are you doing in here?” she asked, standing in the doorway and leaning on the doorframe. 

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Just getting used to the view, I guess.”

“It’s your first night living in the city,” Kasha said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Do you _really_ think we’re going to be staying in tonight?”

Aberdeen’s eyes flashed slightly. “W…What? Really?”

“Oh _come on_. It’s a Friday night,” Kasha giggled. “I’m gonna call Masani and Tom and Margot,” she said, listing off the names of their mutual friends, “and then I’m going to call my boyfriend and we’re gonna go out.”

Boyfriend? _Boyfriend?_ Kasha never mentioned she had a _boyfriend_ to her _or_ Siena before. “Um, excuse me?” Aberdeen choked out. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

Kasha bit her lip. “Listen…it’s Evan.”

Aberdeen almost fell on the floor. Evan was her high school sweetheart, but they had broken up in first year university during the most traditional time period to – the Turkey Dump, aka Thanksgiving long weekend. Aberdeen knew that they still spoke and kept in touch with each other, but _this_ was new. “When did you guys—”

“Listen, we’re trying things again. But you _know_ how my dad is,” she explained. Aberdeen nodded her head. Mr. Palowski could be…tough. He didn’t like the thought of Kasha dating. Not that there was anything wrong with Evan – there wasn’t, he was totally a nerdy sweetheart who just finished engineering school and was already working. Mr. Palowski just didn’t want to deal with boys. “And whatever happens between Evan and I _cannot_ get out. If my dad finds out he will have a conniption.”

“Understood.” Aberdeen did. She really did. They were best friends, after all. Aberdeen would never spill her secrets. 

“And listen, I can keep secrets if _you_ can keep secrets,” Kasha said. “If you don’t tell my dad or anyone else about Evan and him staying over, or sometimes me staying over his…I won’t spill whatever you do here either. I mean, it is _our_ business. Deal?”

Aberdeen smiled. “Deal.”

***

Masani told them they had to start at King Taps, the new restaurant and bar in BMO building in the Financial District. Aberdeen agreed because she really had no choice, but when she got there, she definitely felt too dressed up. Kasha let her borrow some of her clothes, and they were proving to be…eye-catching. Well, at least the lingerie style top was. She wore a pair of dark wash jeans to try and tone it down, but tone it down it did not. People were staring. People were staring at _all_ of them, really, because they all looked hot – Masani especially, she always did. 

“We need more _drinks_ ,” Masani announced as she saw how depleted everyone’s cocktails were. “Aberdeen, come with me to the bar so you can flash the bartender,” she reached out for Aberdeen’s hand and pulled her.

“Masani!”

“What!” she exclaimed. “Tell him you just graduated and maybe he’ll send over free champagne.”

They approached the bar and Masani helped Aberdeen wiggle her way through so she was very close to the front. As the group of men beside them left, and Aberdeen was ready to take their spot, one got too excited and didn’t look to see if anyone was around him as he spun around with his drinks. He ended up knocking Aberdeen over to the side, and she ended up crashing into someone else. It was the worst domino effect that could happen at a bar. 

“Whoa!” the guy beside her said as his hand was on her arm, keeping her up from falling against him. 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she said automatically as she gave a glare to the group of guys. Bunch of idiots. None of them even saw her and cared. She huffed as she finally turned her head to look at the other man – the one she almost fell into – and holy shit. _Holy shit_. He was a _total_ fucking _dreamboat_. Tall (well, taller than her at least), blonde hair, blue eyes, little bit of scruff… _wow_. He was fucking _beautiful_. She had to collect herself and her thoughts, or else she knew her jaw would drop to the floor and drool would start falling out of her mouth and it would all become a bit embarrassing. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she smiled slyly. “Are you?”

Aberdeen nodded her head. “Yeah. I’m alright.”

The blonde man tried to make a little bit more room around them. “Trying to get to the bar for drinks?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head, because apparently words couldn’t form anymore. The man leaned back slightly and tapped the shoulder of someone beside him. “Alex, get this girl a…” he paused, facing back towards Aberdeen, “…what are you drinking?”

“My friend and I are having the cucumber mules,” she said, pointing absent-mindedly to Masani behind her, or wherever she was. It was then that she noticed another man – equally as blonde, equally as blue-eyed – eyeing her from right up against the bar. 

“Cucumber mules!” the blonde man told his friend before focusing back on Aberdeen. “So what’s your name?”

“Aberdeen.”

“A- _what_?”

That was generally the reaction she got when she told people her name. She hated it. It wasn’t like it was hard to pronounce. It was just that it was an unusual name for a person. “A-ber-deen,” she slowed down the pronunciation. 

“A-ber-deen,” he repeated. She nodded her head when he got it right. “Nice to meet you Aberdeen. I’m Will.”

“Nice to meet you Will,” she managed to get out. God, he even had a hot name. 

“And your friend?” he nodded towards Masani.

“Oh!” Aberdeen spun around and grabbed Masani, bringing her away from the bar and towards them. “This is my friend Masani. Masani this is Will.”

As if on cue, Alex spun around and handed the girls their drinks. Aberdeen could see Masani’s back straighten as she laid her eyes on Alex, and she had to hold in a laugh. Will threw an arm around him after he got handed his own drink. “This is my brother, Alex.”

_Brothers_? Masani giggled. “Hey Alex,” she stepped forward. “Thanks for the drink.”

Will and Aberdeen’s eyebrows rose at the exchange, and soon, Masani and Alex were in their own world. Typical of Masani, Aberdeen thought. She was gorgeous, so she could get any guy she wanted to do anything she wanted. Truthfully, Aberdeen was surprised Masani didn’t go straight to Will. He was the more attractive brother – Aberdeen thought at least. 

“So what brings you to out tonight?” Will asked, trying to continue the conversation. 

“Oh, I’m out with friends,” she said, pointing to the table where everyone else was. “I just graduated university last week so my roommate wanted to ta—”

“What? You graduated university last week?” Will asked. Aberdeen nodded. He smiled brightly and she thought she was going to burst. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

“Have a job yet?”

“Trying,” she made a face. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I work on Bay Street,” he said casually. She was surprised that someone with such good hair would be working on Bay Street. Usually the guys were balding because they were stressed out all the time. And such _long_ hair, too. Clearly he wasn’t a corporate drone. Maybe he worked for some fancy start-up and not a financial firm or big bank. 

“And what brings you to King Taps?” she asked.

“Ah…my brother and I, we’re going back home to Sweden tomorrow,” he said. “Gotta have one last night out before we’re gone for the summer.”

They were from Sweden. _Of course_ they were from _Sweden_ , these boys with their blonde hair and blue eyes and impeccable good looks. She should have known better. “Sweden! That’s so cool! How did you end up in Tor—”

“Tell me about your graduation,” he said, not exactly cutting her off but changing the subject completely. “What kind of a job are you trying to find? What do you want to do?” he asked.

“At this point, anything besides bank-telling,” she tried to joke. “But…realistically, my dream is to become a writer.”

Will smiled. “Tell me more.”

***

Aberdeen and Will spoke for the entire night. They talked about a lot – everything – so many things that Aberdeen couldn’t remember. Kasha noticed. Evan noticed. Tom noticed. Margot noticed. Even Masani and Alex, in their own little world, noticed. But Aberdeen couldn’t help it. He was just so cute and they just kept getting drinks and he just kept looking at her to keep talking, and she _did_ keep talking (mostly because when she got alcohol in her system she couldn’t shut up), and he kept _letting_ her, and it was all just one big mess. Well, not a mess, really – messes couldn’t be this cute and this Swedish – but Aberdeen didn’t know what to do. 

When Masani announced at 12:30, along with Alex, that everybody should leave and go to Wildflower, Will left to run to the washroom quickly. It gave Aberdeen a chance to breathe, a chance to feel the alcohol coursing through her body. She’d lost count at how many cucumber mules she’d had. All she could think about was Will’s cute face and dumb laugh and how hot he was.

Kasha had a chance to approach Aberdeen. “You’ve been talking to that guy all night. He’s really hot.”

“I know. He’s from Sweden. He’s going back tomorrow and all I want to do is give him a going away present.”

Kasha snorted. “Are you drunk?”

“A little bit. I’m tipsy but I’m not drunk.”

Kasha quickly looked around. “Listen, if you wanna get out of here and go back to the condo, I don’t mind.”

Aberdeen’s eyes widened. “Whaaaaat?”

“Oh _come on_ , Aberdeen. Have you been with anyone since Zane?”

Aberdeen winced at the mention of her last ex-boyfriend’s name. “No.”

“Then _do it_ ,” she wiggled her eyebrows, nodding her head to something behind her. When Aberdeen looked, Will was headed back towards the table. 

The group moved to leave King Taps. Masani was hanging off of Alex and Will had his hands on Aberdeen’s hips guiding her out of the bar. “How you feeling?” he asked as they all waited for their Ubers. 

“I’m good,” she smiled up at him sheepishly, trying to flirt.

“You wanna get out of here?”

God, he said the words. He actually said them. She nodded her head but tried not to seem too excited. “You wanna go back to mine?”

“Of course. Where do you live?”

“University and Adelaide.”

Will grabbed her hand and led her down the opposite way everybody else was going. She heard Margot call out for her, and Kasha shut her up quickly. Alex apparently had no problem his brother was leaving him, because he didn’t call out for Will. This was exciting. This made her jittery. This was the start of her new life downtown.

***

Will held Aberdeen’s hand as the sliding doors opened automatically for them. She flashed her keys against the pad to open the doors, and they were in. He nodded at the security behind the desk as he let Aberdeen guide him towards the elevators. He was excited. He was jittery. This was the last of his time in Toronto…at least for the time being.

He hadn’t planned on doing much tonight, let alone pick up a girl and suggest going back to her place – he and his brother, who had met him by flying in from Chicago, had only meant to go out for drinks. But when two young, attractive, and available single men met two young, attractive, and available single women, what did the universe think was going to happen? And Aberdeen was just so cute. Sure, she looked hot in her lingerie style top and with her hair done, but when she started talking to him about writing, he was in hook, line, and sinker. All he wanted to do was talk to her. All he wanted to do was listen to her go on and on about things and laugh at the jokes she made. It was nice. _She_ was nice. And he needed a little bit more _nice_ in his life right now.

So, he took the bait. Even though he was going back home to Sweden tomorrow, and even though he would probably never see Aberdeen again, he took the bait. He had to have a little bit of fun. 

Just as the doors to the elevator were about to close, a deliveryman rushed through and slipped through the door. Will furrowed his brows.

“Smells good,” Aberdeen commented as the elevator began moving up. The man smiled politely. “Shawarma?” she asked. The man nodded his head. Will tried not to laugh. Her drunk thoughts were getting the best of her – so was her hunger due to that drunkenness. “I could kill for some shawarma right now.”

“…Well, you can order through Uber Eats,” the man said, shrugging awkwardly. He looked quickly at Will. “If you want.”

The elevator pinged. The deliveryman nodded again before the doors open and he escaped down the hallway. The doors closed.

Aberdeen took a huge sniff of shawarma-air in as it lingered in the elevator. She was practically salivating at the mouth. “I haven’t had shawarma since—” her sentence was cut off by Will’s lips crashing onto hers, pushing her into the corner of the elevator as he began to feel her up. She kissed him back as eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders. 

“Better than shawarma?” he asked quickly in between kisses.

Aberdeen couldn’t help but snort. “Definitely.”

Their lips barely left the other’s until the elevator pinged for the 23rd floor and they rushed down the hallway. Aberdeen quickly put her key in the lock with Will’s lips kissing at her ear a neck – a true heroic feat, really, because he was able to cause _quite_ the distraction doing that. Eventually, thankfully, she got it, and they stumbled into her apartment and kicked off their shoes.

“Want some water?” Aberdeen thought she should be polite.

It was Will’s turn to snort. “Where’s your bedroom?”

They kissed all the way there, and fell on top of her bed. They couldn’t keep their hands or lips off each other, which was great in aiding them take each other’s clothes off. Everything was fast and neither of them were thinking, but it was okay. 

“Nice tattoos by the way,” he whispered quickly, his thumbs gliding over their place on her forearms, right beneath the crease of her elbows. “Very sexy.” She giggled and smiled in response, not knowing what else to say, but thankful that he said it now so that she didn’t feel the pressure to explain their meaning to him. 

Will began kissing her neck and Aberdeen let out soft moans. “You like that?” he asked in a husky voice. Aberdeen could only nod her head. He’d bite her a little – she was sure he probably left a mark – before moving further down. She was so hung up on how good his lips felt along the skin of her body that she almost didn’t notice what he wanted to do. The slight tug on her underwear solidified it.

“N–No,” she hesitated, wiggling around and pushing him away slightly.

“You – you what—”

“No,” she repeated. “I’m not comfortable with that.”

Will nodded his head. He didn’t even hesitate. “Okay…okay,” he said, coming back up automatically. “Next time,” he smiled sweetly. 

He couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t kiss down her body and then attempt to do _that_ and then come up and smile at her like that. It just wasn’t fair. It made her brain into a pile of goo – a _bigger_ pile of goo than it already was. It made her unable to think.

Well, Aberdeen _was_ thinking about one thing. 

“Condoms are right here,” she whispered, reaching slightly with her right hand to open the drawer on her bedside table. Her mother put them there earlier that day when her father wasn’t looking. Aberdeen was embarrassed about it, but at the end of the day, Orla didn’t raise a fool. 

Will reached over, rummaging through the drawer before finding one. He ripped off the foil and Aberdeen helped him slide it on before they resumed kissing. His hands wandered down along her thighs before she hooked them around his torso. “You’re good?” he asked, checking in.

“Yeah.”

“And you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.”

Will took her verbal confirmation and began entering her, reminding himself to take it slow. He saw Aberdeen’s eyes go slightly wide, the close from wincing in pain. He got worried. “Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded her head. “Are you sure?”

“It feels good, Will,” she breathed out. “Keep moving.”

Well _that_ fucking changed things. He began moving in and out of her as requested, and with each movement came a new moan from Aberdeen. He leaned his head down to keep kissing her, and soon they worked up an amazing rhythm that brought pleasure to them both. The more noises she made, the more Will knew she was enjoying it and felt good, and, well, that meant he was enjoying it and felt good, too. She felt _amazing_ for him. He was fucking lucky that he met her at King Taps, and even luckier that they got talking and she brought him back to her place. He was having the time of his fucking life.

Soon, he could sense Aberdeen getting closer and closer to her climax. “You close?” he asked. She could only nod her head again. But when she arched her back, he could feel her walls tighten around him, and she was a goner, repeating his name and letting out heavy breaths. He climaxed too, spilling everything out into the condom before collapsing beside her on the bed.

As they caught their breaths, Aberdeen looked over at Will who was staring up at the ceiling. He sensed she was staring and turned his head. “That was fucking awesome,” she blurted out.

He laughed out loud. “That _was_.”

***

The next morning, Aberdeen took a while to wake up. She knew she’d be hungover, she knew she’d be tired, but she knew it was a Saturday, so it’s not like she had to be anywhere. And, best of all – she was alone. No screaming Orla to wake her up, telling her she was wasting her day. No loud Camden footsteps running down the hallway to annoy her. No Mirza starting up the lawnmower at the God forsaken hour of 8am because he didn’t know how to sleep in. 

She kind of missed it. 

As she rolled over, her head began to throb. She brought her hand up to massage her forehead and she began opening her eyes slowly to adjust to the light – so much more now that she was 23 floors above the city. She saw Minerva sleeping on her cat tree, her fluffy tail falling over the shelf. 

She tried to get up – she really did – but the pounding headache was making it difficult. When she finally lifted herself up, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something peculiar on her bedside table. After rubbing her eyes and having them refocus, she saw a glass full of water and an extra strength Advil on top of a piece of paper.

Oh right, _Will_.

She appreciated the gesture as she popped one of the Advil and took a big gulp of water. She picked up the piece of paper from the bedside table.

_Tack. I had a flight to catch._

_\--Will_


	2. Chapter 1

**September 3 rd, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was still looking for a job.

She was still sending out her resume to companies. She was still making follow-up phone calls. She was still creating alert notifications for jobs she’d be interested in. She was still going for interviews. She was still shaking hands and thanking people for their time. She was still writing follow-up thank you emails. She was still getting rejection calls. She was still submitting work to writing contests and magazines. She was still getting “ _It’s not what we’re looking for right now”_ emails. 

She sighed.

So maybe getting the dream gig was harder than she thought.

It wasn’t like the bank had let her go. She was still earning _something_ to keep her afloat, but _it was the bank_. It wasn’t writing, it wasn’t _anything else_. It was the same stuff every single day and Aberdeen was starting to resent it. She didn’t move downtown to stay a bank teller. She moved downtown to start her career, and this was not starting her career.

But then a phone call came on Sunday – peculiar, she thought, since it was a long weekend and had expected everybody and their mothers to be at a cottage – asking if she wanted to come in for an interview. To MLSE. For the personal assistant job. Aberdeen didn’t even remember applying to MLSE. But she was desperate, so she said yes, and now she found herself looking in the mirror with her best “interview outfit” on ready to ace it.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. She packed her bag, made sure she had her wallet at keys, and left the condo, deciding to walk the short way to 50 Bay Street so she could pick up breakfast on the way. Even while eating the ham and swiss sandwich, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach – it didn’t calm her nerves at all. For some reason, she felt like this was her last chance to build something towards her career. If she didn’t, she’d be stuck bank-telling forever. When she stood outside the doors of 50 Bay Street, she took a deep breath before walking in.

_“When you arrive, tell the receptionist you are looking for Frances Munro”_ the woman on the other line had told her when she called for the interview. As she approached the receptionist, she tried to look as confident as possible. “Hi, my name is Aberdeen Bloom. I’m here for an interview with, um, Frances Munro?”

“Aberdeen Bloom?” another voice called out. 

Aberdeen looked up to see another woman lurking in the back, a clipboard in hand, dressed impeccably well. “Yes. Hi.”

The woman looked at her. Aberdeen could see her give a quick up-down. “Great. Human resources certainly has an odd sense of humour,” she quipped, chuckling for nobody but herself. “Follow me.”

Aberdeen did as she was told, giving a polite nod to the receptionist who was already ignoring her. She circled around the desk and followed Frances, who walked through the door but didn’t hold it open. “Okay, so I was Brendan’s personal assistant but I recently got promoted so now I’m looking for someone else,” Frances explained.

“Oh, so you’re replacing yourself.”

“Well, I’m trying to. We tried to be proactive and hire early but the last two Brendan sacked after only a few weeks. We need to find someone who can survive here – who can survive Brendan’s schedule and survive the pressure of the Leafs. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Aberdeen looked around awkwardly. “Who is Brendan?”

“What?” Frances stopped dead in her tracks to look back at Aberdeen. “Oh my God, I will pretend did not just ask me that – _Brendan Shanahan_ , he’s the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” she practically hissed at her, continuing her walk. “Not to mention a hockey legend. If you work a year for him you can get a job in any adjacent field you want – sports, media, journalism, writing, whatever. A million people would kill for this job.”

_Writing. Writing. WRITING!!!!!_ Alarm bells were going off in Aberdeen’s ears. “It sounds like a great opportunity. I’d love to be considered.”

Frances giggled, pushing her clipboard up to cover the smile on her face. They had stopped in front of a series of doors and Aberdeen felt like she was going to have to pick the one without the tiger in it. “Aberdeen…the Toronto Maple Leafs are a hockey club. An interest in hockey…even just a little bit, is crucial,” she explained condescendingly. Aberdeen wondered how someone like this could even get promoted. “Do you play hockey?

“No.”

“Do you _watch_ hockey?”

“No.”

Frances looked shocked. “Do you _know_ who the Toronto Maple Leafs are?”

“ _Of course_ I know who the Toronto Maple Leafs are,” Aberdeen huffed. “I just don’t…I mean, I don’t…”

“If I put a picture of Mats Sundin in front of you right now could you pick him apart from Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour?”

There was an awkward pause. “Are those Mr. Shanahan’s right-hand men?”

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Frances muttered under her breath. “Have you ever been to a game?”

“Yes.”

“Are you lying?”

“No – no, I’m not lying,” Aberdeen said quickly. “One of my friends – her dad gets tickets through clients or whatever. I’ll go to maybe one a year with her family. But it’s not – I’m not like…the experience is fun.”

Before Frances could respond with something that was ruder than the last thing she said, her phone let out a really loud notification. She balanced the clipboard on one hand as she took out her phone. But as she looked at the message on the screen, her face dropped. “Oh my God, oh my God, _no_!”

Aberdeen’s face dropped too. “What’s wrong?”

Frances dropped her clipboard onto the desk and ran around it, grabbing the phone receiver and dialling a number. Almost automatically, she began talking. “He’s on his way. Tell _everyone_ the story needs to be retracted _now_ ,” she barked before hanging up. A man walked through another door and suddenly, it was complete mayhem. People were running through everywhere. 

“He wasn’t supposed to arrive until 9:30. What happened?” the man asked Frances.

“Those idiots at the Sun had the audacity to actually post the story about his daughter online. _God, these people!_ ” Frances huffed. 

Aberdeen stood awkwardly as everyone seemed to go into mayhem mode. Frances was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, that one guy had mysteriously disappeared, and men in suits were in and out of everywhere with panicked looks on their faces. She watched as Frances whipped into the office and began putting stuff out on the desk – a glass of San Pellegrino water, a venti Starbucks, and the sports sections of all the local newspapers. When she was done, Frances grabbed the clipboard from her desk, a pen, and ran back down the corridor they just came from, leaving Aberdeen there, standing alone. Awkwardly. 

Eventually, she could hear Frances’s voice again – much more polite this time – and footsteps of very expensive shoes clacking down the hallway. “Yes Mr. Shanahan, of course.”

“And tell David at The Sun that I’m this close to revoking media access to the locker room if he publishes another article to do with my children ever again,” a voice Aberdeen could only assume was Brendan Shanahan’s was echoing down the hallway.

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Then tell Ben up in the legal department to draw up the paperwork necessary for that to scare them,” she heard, and finally, they rounded the corner. Frances and Mr. Brendan Shanahan, President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was _angry_. Aberdeen could tell, even if she didn’t hear any of his last sentences – his body language showed it all. She stepped back a few steps so he could get into his office unimpeded, where he would very obviously yell at the top of his lungs once he shut the door. 

“Who’s that?” he asked.

Frances stood in front of Aberdeen, shielding her from Brendan’s view as he looked back at Aberdeen from inside his office. “Nobody – well – human resources sent her about the personal assistant job and I was going to interview her…but, but she’s _hopeless_ ,” she chuckled out, “and totally wrong for the job—”

“Well clearly I’m going to have to do that myself, since the last two you sent me were completely inadequate,” he deadpanned. Frances’s back stiffened at the words. “So send her in,” he finished as he sat down at his desk. 

Frances walked out of Mr. Shanahan’s office. “Mr. Shanahan would like to see you,” she said politely, loud enough for him to hear. It was when she leaned in closer that she began to whisper so he couldn’t. “Brendan Shanahan is the absolute nicest person you will ever meet,” she began, “but he is also the busiest, most intense, most dedicated hockey professional in the entire National Hockey League. Do you understand?”

Aberdeen gulped. “Yes.”

“And I hope you know that this is a very difficult job for which you re totally wrong, and if you mess up my head is on the chopping block.”

‘ _That might not be so bad’_ , Aberdeen thought. She would have appreciated some words of encouragement, like what Kasha had given her this morning, rather than the shpeal she was getting now. But Aberdeen digressed, and nodded her head. She took out a copy of her resume from her purse before walking in.

When she did, she couldn’t help but notice all the fine detailing of his office. A lot of oak, bookcases, a lot of framed pictures of his family, and a giant Toronto Maple Leaf logo plastered – literally plastered – onto the wall. He even had a giant oak desk – so regal – in the middle of the room. 

“Who are you?” Brendan asked in a tone much softer, but still angry.

Aberdeen took a deep breath. This was her time to shine. “Hi Mr. Shanahan. My name is Aberdeen Bloom,” she said, stepping forward awkwardly to place her resume on his desk. “I recently graduated from the University of Toronto—”

“And what are you doing here?” he asked.

Aberdeen blanked. What _was_ she doing here? “Um, well, I think I could do a good job as your assistant, and um…” she started, noticing that Brendan was putting on his glasses. Her gave her a look as those words left her mouth. He grabbed the newspapers off his desk and placed them in front of him, over her resume. 

_‘Alright Aberdeen. Cut the bullshit’_ she told herself. “Yeah, so, I graduated U of T and want to become a writer. I sent my resume out everywhere, and my work to try to get published, and _finally_ I got a call from the MLSE human resources department, and…well, basically it’s this or bank-telling.”

Brendan didn’t look up from his newspaper. “So you’re not a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Aberdeen’s body stiffened. “Uh…no?”

“And before today you had never heard of me.”

“…No.”

There was an awkward pause. Brendan didn’t seem like he had any more questions in him – if he even cared. It was so clear that he didn’t and that she was bombing this interview. But Aberdeen felt more words coming. “I was recently published in Acta Victoriana, the oldest continuous university magazine in Canada – twice, actually – and was also published in the Hart House Review—”

“I think we’re done here,” Brendan said, not looking up from the newspaper. That was it. Cut throat. Didn’t care.

Aberdeen swallowed her pride. So this interview was a dumpster fire from the get-go. But it was _him_ that came in angry and _him_ that came into this without an open mind. She couldn’t help but scoff at how he dismissed her; he didn’t even have the courtesy to look up. She turned to walk out.

_‘Don’t let it end like this’_ her mind told her. _‘You have so much within you that he doesn’t want to see’_.

So she turned around. “You know what? You’re right. I know nothing about hockey,” she began, her voice as strong and powerful as she could make it. “The woman who brought me in asked if I knew the difference between Matt…Gilmour and something…something Sundin, and I didn’t. I don’t fit in here,” she continued, noticing that he finally looked up. “I’m a girl who grew up in an old bungalow in Etobicoke with immigrant parents. I’m an English major with a double minor in classics and film. But I’m smart. I’m really f… _really_ smart, and I learn fast, and I will work hard if you give me the chance to do so here—”

“Good news – they’ve agreed to take down the story,” somebody burst into the room interrupting her speech. Brendan looked at her until the person laid their iPad down in front of him. “The tweet linking the article is gone and it’s completely gone off their website. Adrienne Batra wants to call you to personally apologize.”

“There’s no way I’m speaking to that woman,” Brendan mumbled. “Tell her I want it in writing. And one to my daughter as well.”

“Thank you for your…time,” Aberdeen said, as if he gave her any. She walked out of his office and out of his life forever. 

Aberdeen decided to take the stairs, slowly walking down the flights of stairs, hearing her shoes clack against the bare concrete. There, she could at least wallow in her self-pity after that train wreck of an interview. She could deliberate about her next choices and steps. Keep bank-telling? Go back and get her Master’s? Take a new course? Tell her parents how she was failing? Move back home? Never do anything with her life? Live in her parents’ basement for the rest of her life? Maybe she should just stay in this stairwell. Maybe she should start living here, since there was nothing else for her out there in the big wide world. Maybe she’d become a hermit.

As she finally reached the ground floor, she thanked the receptionist again, who ignored her again. Typical. As she was about to walk out of 50 Bay Street, she heard her name being called. “ _Aberdeen!_ ”

She turned around. Frances was waving her back, rolling her eyes at the same time. Aberdeen furrowed her brows. Did she forget something? What was going on? She scurried over to Frances. “What’s wrong?”

“Brendan wants to speak to you.”

Aberdeen gulped. She was going to get yelled at by the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was going to completely obliterate her entire life and not-yet-burgeoning career for that little stunt she pulled inside his office with that speech, and she’d never be able to find a job anywhere in Toronto again. She may as well just move into her parents’ basement now. 

As they both rode the elevator back up, Aberdeen’s heart kept beating faster and faster. “Do you know what he wants to speak about?” Aberdeen asked.

“I have no clue,” Frances said absent-mindedly, typing something into her phone.

When they arrived back upstairs, Frances led her straight back into Brendan’s office. He was working on his laptop now, instead of reading his newspaper over Aberdeen’s resume. “Brendan, I have Aberdeen back for you,” Frances announced.

“Excellent,” he said, his voice much more upbeat than what is was five or ten minutes ago. “Franny, I’d like you to take Aberdeen to get her picture taken for her new MLSE identification badge,” he said.

Frances’s eyes bulged out of her head. So did Aberdeen’s. “W-What?” Frances stuttered out.

“And after that, I’d like you to take the town car and take Aberdeen to the Eaton’s Centre to get her an iPad Pro with a keyboard so we can start the process of downloading all the necessary apps and internal mail server she’ll need to do the job.”

Aberdeen’s stomach dropped. “I…I got the job?” she asked, completely flabbergasted. Was he _nuts_? Completely, certifiably _insane_?

“You start next Monday. Is that fine with you?”

Aberdeen found herself nodding.

***

“I’m so glad Steven could get that done for you today,” Brendan said as he rounded the corner of his desk so he could sit in his fancy big chair. Aberdeen nodded, looking at the screen of her new iPad Pro. Steven, one of the guys from tech support, had helped her download everything she needed to have on it. 

“Yeah. It was all really fast.”

“After you finish up here today you may need to go back to the Eaton’s Centre,” Brendan informed her. “You’re going to need to purchase a work wardrobe. Keep every receipt because MLSE will reimburse you. I prefer black, but really…get whatever you think is appropriate for an office.”

“Okay.”

“No heels necessary. When we travel, I obviously don’t mind something more laid back – especially trips to the west coast. Do you have a valid and working passport?”

“Yes sir.”

“Make sure you have it when traveling. Our charter plane will still need to see it. We’ll make copies.”

“Yes sir.”

“You’ll need to be available every game day. We usually have Sundays off, but it’s a very untraditional schedule. You’re okay with that?”

“Yes sir.”

“And I have your contract for you,” he said, grabbing some paperwork on the desk. “We’ll have someone from the legal department come and explain it shortly,” he handed it to her, “but you’ll see the salary at the bottom of the first page.” Aberdeen looked down. Her eyes bulged at the number. “If everything is to your liking, then we can sign.”

“Okay,” she nodded her head. She gulped. 

Brendan looked at Aberdeen and could tell she was nervous – it was obvious in her short _“Yes sir”_ responses anyway, but she looked like she wanted to curl into her shell. “Before Ben from legal gets here, I would like to apologize about this morning,” he said. “A local newspaper ran an article about one of my daughters, and my children…well, my children are completely off-limits. Everybody knows that. But sometimes some journalists like to see how far they can take things, even though they know family is off limits.”

Aberdeen understood where he was coming from. If anyone ever said anything bad about Siena or Camden, she’d have their head on a spike. She couldn’t even imagine what it was like for a father, or any parent for that matter, to have an article published about their child without their permission. “I understand, Mr. Shanahan.”

“We _are_ like a family here, you know – MLSE, but the Leafs especially. You will feel part of that family soon enough.”

Aberdeen nodded nervously. “I’m sure I will, Mr. Shanahan.”

“Well…” he shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair and smiling at her. “Congratulations, Miss Bloom. You are now an employee of MLSE.”

***

“With the _Leafs_?!” Kasha was shocked when Aberdeen told her. She’d started pouring glasses of wine when Aberdeen told her she got a job, but once she revealed the specifics, Kasha was shocked. “Gosh Aberdeen, remember when my dad would bring me, you, and Siena to games with the company season tickets?”

“I know.”

“And now you’re working for them?!”

“For the President. I’m his personal assistant.”

“Oh my _God_!” Kasha exclaimed. “Seriously though, I bet a million jocks would kill for that job,” she commented as she finished pouring the wine. 

“Yeah. Great,” Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Thing is, I’m not one of them.”

“Well, you gotta start somewhere, right?” Kasha offered. She picked up both wine glasses, handing one to Aberdeen. Kasha held her glass up. “To jobs that pay the rent.”

Aberdeen giggled. “To jobs that pay the rent.”


	3. Chapter 2

**September 9 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was late. 

“I’m late I’m late I’m late I’m late,” she got progressively louder as she tore through the condo like a tornado trying to get everything she needed for the day. Mr. Shanahan’s driver, Lou, had already texted her and was already downstairs waiting as she rummaged through her things and stuffed them into her purse. They were supposed to be leaving at 7am. 

“Do you want some breakfast?” Kasha called out from the kitchen.

“I’m late I’m late I’m late!” Aberdeen began screaming as she gathered the last of the files and handbooks Brendan had given her before slinging her purse over her shoulder.

“Some coffee?” Kasha called out again.

“I’m _late_!” Aberdeen bulldozed through the main living area, running to the door and slipping on her shoes so quickly they were barely even on her feet as she opened the door and ran out. “I’m late I’m late I’m late!”

She ran through the hallway and frantically pushed the elevator button until the door opened, only to stuff herself into the already full cart (it was morning rush hour, after all) on its way down. When she burst through the front doors of the building, she saw the town car waiting. She opened the door and slipped into the backseat.

“Hello Miss Bloom,” Lou said from the driver’s seat, looking at her through the rear-view mirror. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m good,” she said, very clearly out of breath. She grabbed the seatbelt from behind her and snaked it across her body. She felt the car start to move. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“You’re not late,” he shook his head. “Sometimes I’d have to wait for Frances for fifteen minutes. You – it’s only 6:58. We’re early.”

She let out a breath as he turned the corner. “Um, thanks,” she nodded her head, grabbing her bag and taking out the new iPad Pro that was set up last Wednesday. It had Brendan’s calendar on it, and she swiped through some of the events of the day. She would need to be prepped for when Brendan got into the car – and Lord knows where that was. “So where are we picking up Mr. Shanahan?” she asked.

“Mr. Shanahan lives on the Kingsway in Etobicoke,” Lou informed her. 

Aberdeen laughed to herself. Now she’d have to be back in Etobicoke every day. She would be only several blocks away from her childhood home. A completely different neighbourhood, but still close. The audacity of the universe to do this to her. Before Aberdeen could say anything about it, Lou pulled up to a curb and stopped the car. “What’s going on?”

“You need to pick up Mr. Shanahan’s morning coffee.”

“Oh! But what – what—” Aberdeen exclaimed. Then she panicked. Morning coffee? What was his order? He never told her! He never mentioned picking up a morning coffee and now –

“Mr. Shanahan orders a venti, extra shot, extra hot cappuccino in the mornings,” Lou informed her politely. 

“Right!” she said as she opened the door and pushed herself out of the car. The Starbucks was busy, of course. She accidentally paid for the drink on her own debit card and the barista totally put _her_ name on the drink instead of Brendan. This was a disaster. 

But as she got back into the car, Lou greeted her with another friendly smile. “The middle comes down,” he informed her, and she pulled it down for the cupholders. “Miss Bloom, you have a lot of nervous energy,” he said as he drove away, heading west towards Etobicoke. “You’ll be fine. You need to let go of the nervous energy. Mr. Shanahan will be able to sense it.”

Aberdeen laughed. “I think that’s impossible. It’s my first day on the job. What happened to the last two personal assistants Frances tried to hire, anyway?” she asked.

“Argh,” he huffed, waving in disgust. “They were bozos. Very rude. Only got into it for the title, then started to walk around the office like they owned the place. Like _they_ were the ones who were trading and drafting,” Lou explained. “Idiots.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but giggle. “Well, I won’t be doing any of that,” Aberdeen quipped. “I don’t even watch hockey.”

“If you ask me, I think it’s better that way,” Lou said. “Brendan likes people with different interests, anyway.”

The rest of the car ride was fairly silent. It took them about half an hour to get out to Etobicoke thanks to traffic, which meant they rolled into Mr. Shanahan’s driveway at around 7:45. His house was beautiful – as every house on the Kingsway was – big and in the old Tudor style, landscaped beautifully and kept neat and clean. People dreamed of living in these houses. Sometimes, during high school, Aberdeen would go on a run here just so she had something nice to look at. It wasn’t like she lived far – she grew up south of Bloor in an adjacent neighbourhood called Sunnylea. It was much different than the Kingsway though – much more middle class. She still loved it. 

Almost immediately, Mr. Shanahan came out through the front door. He wore a perfectly tailored, expensive looking blue suit, with leather oxfords and a red tie. For her part, Aberdeen tried to dress modestly – like cover up her tattoos, however small and unassuming they were – while still maintaining a sense of fashion and style like she always did. Lou exited the car to greet him, with Brendan greeting him happily, and Lou opened the door for him. He slipped in beside Aberdeen. “Good morning, Aberdeen.”

“Good morning Mr. Shanahan.”

“Brendan,” he corrected her. She was uncomfortable with that. He was a man in a very high position of power – she couldn’t just call him _Brendan_ like he was her buddy. “What’s my day consist of?” he asked.

She pulled up the iPad Pro. “It’s pretty easy today, Mr. Shanahan. You only have a meeting with the hockey operations department at 11am – no scheduled end time – and a quick half an hour meeting with a woman by the name of…Hayley Wick-in-heeser at 3pm.”

Brendan glanced at her through his glasses. Did she say something wrong? “Great. Fantastic. Thank you.” He grabbed at his coffee in between them, took out the coffee stopper, and sipped. “Who told you my coffee order?” he asked.

She looked at him like he just asked her to reveal her deepest, darkest secret. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t frowning. He wasn’t doing anything. Just giving her a blank stare. She gulped and held her breath. “Lou,” she answered meekly.

Mr. Shanahan let out a slight chuckle. “Thanks Lou,” he said louder. Lou waved.

Aberdeen kept holding her breath. 

***

Once back at 50 Bay Street, Mr. Shanahan took Aberdeen on a lightning fast meet-and-greet tour of the offices. She met an array of people she had a hard time remembering the names of. There was Arvind and Joe and Cressida, Rosie and Daniel and Parminder, Henry and Rita and Stefano, Brendan (another Brendan) and Michael and Tony. There were so many people Aberdeen couldn’t remember them all, couldn’t remember their departments, and couldn’t remember their titles. But she nodded along nicely, and shook all their hands, and listened as Mr. Shanahan introduced her as “my new personal assistant” and spoke with some of them longer than others. 

Eventually, they made their way to some of the more important departments – hockey operations, who he’d be having a meeting with as part of management, and media relations. There were a few specific people that stuck out to her, mostly because she could tell Mr. Shanahan wanted to make sure she knew who they were. 

“Leanne Hederson is the manager of hockey operations. You’re going to be seeing a lot of her,” he said, introducing them. She had a firm handshake and wore a powersuit and Aberdeen loved her already. “This is Steve Walker, director of team security,” he continued as Aberdeen shook the hand of the man. “And this is—”

“New girl on the job?” a loud, booming voice asked from behind them. Everybody turned around. Aberdeen saw a man walk in – tall, conventionally attractive, with a Maple Leafs pin on his lapel – and smile at everybody in the room. “What department? Media? Medical?”

Aberdeen looked over at Mr. Shanahan quickly. He didn’t look too pleased at the interruption but he digressed. “This is Ethan Baker – he works in tech and video playback,” he said curtly. “Mr. Baker, this is my new personal assistant, Miss Aberdeen Bloom.”

“Nice to meet you, Abbie,” he shook her hand, sending her a beaming smile.

Her blood curdled at that name. Absolutely nobody called her that – not even her family. It wasn’t even her nickname. “It’s Aberdeen.”

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“My name is Aberdeen, not Abbie. _Aberdeen_ ,” she said. She didn’t even care that she was asserting herself in such a way in front of everyone on her first day of work. She didn’t want ‘Abbie’ to become a thing, so she was going to nip it now. She knew she had a weird name but a nickname was ridiculous. She was a grown woman. People could say her name. 

Ethan chuckled awkwardly, and Mr. Shanahan had apparently had enough. “We’ll see all you folks later,” he said, guiding Aberdeen out of the room. 

They walked through the offices and back towards their area, where Aberdeen saw her desk clean and cleared from all of Frances’s things. She went to sit down and took out the iPad Pro. “Alright,” Mr. Shanahan began, and she knew he was going to go into a long shpeal about what her job was going to entail. “First of all, you answer the phone. The phone must be answered every single time. I hate when it goes to voicemail. Plus hockey is very fast-paced. If we miss a phone call, we may miss out on trade opportunities and other important hockey operations business.”

“Yes sir…but what happens if we’re not at our desks. What happens if we’re in the arena or—”

“In that case the phone will be programmed to call you on your cell phone,” he said quickly. “You’ll give us your phone number and we’ll program it in. Every _single_ time, Aberdeen,” he stressed.

“Yes sir.”

“You run errands as assigned. You handle my schedule as assigned and remind me of my appointments both personal and professional, meetings, and important phone calls. During game days, you’re here at the arena until the game is over, both teams have left, and I deem it fine for you to leave. You will, of course, travel with the team when I travel with the team, within Canada and to the States. You will show up to all practices, all team events including galas and fundraisers, and all other MLSE events not associated with the Toronto Maple Leafs if I am invited to them.”

“Yes sir.”

“Now, today isn’t a busy day even though the team is in for a skate because I only have two meetings. But there will be days where you’ll be running around here like a chicken with its head cut off,” he explained. “Especially at the start of the season in a few weeks, and _most_ especially at the trade deadline in February. But until then…well, enjoy the calmness.”

“Yes sir.”

“Have you been reading the employee handbook I sent to you?” he asked, walking into his office quickly. 

“Yes sir.”

“Any questions?”

“No sir.”

“Great. Then you can start familiarizing yourself with this,” he said as he plopped a giant binder on her desk. It was full of protective sleeves and filled to the brim. Aberdeen gulped. “This is somewhat of a directory of every Toronto Maple Leafs personnel you should familiarize yourself with, as they will be your colleagues,” he opened the binder for her. He was the first one. “Study this. They’re your colleagues. _Important_ colleagues.”

“Yes sir.”

“And you can take this home tonight, but it comes right back tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll call you if I need you,” he said, returning back into his office, leaving her with the giant binder. She looked down at it and gulped. She wanted to go back and hug every one of her high school teachers who remembered her name after having over 90 students a semester. She didn’t know how any of them did it. “Oh, and Aberdeen?” Mr. Shanahan popped his head back out, startling her a bit.

“Yes sir?”

“It’s Brendan,” he smiled before disappearing into his office again.

_‘No chance’_ Aberdeen thought.

***

Aberdeen couldn’t believe how many handbooks there were to read. She understood _why_ she had to read them, but _God_ it was tedious. She felt what she really needed was for Mr. Shanahan to slip her _“How to Play Hockey for Kids”_ or something – she figured she may as well start to learn about the sport she was going to be surrounded by. Her first email was Brendan emailing her the 2019-2020 season schedule, and asking her to record every game in both his and her calendar. 

After she finished that, she went back briefly to the MLSE Employee Handbook, the book that outlined the rules that employees had to abide by. She had laughed at some of the more ridiculous ones. Of course, there were the regular ones any company would have – employees couldn’t be under the influence on the job, employees couldn’t engage in criminal behaviour – but three stuck out to her most. 

The first to make her giggle was number 18:

NO EMPLOYEE OF MLSE SHALL USE ANY COMPANY CREDIT CARD OR LINE OF CREDIT FOR PERSONAL PURCHASES UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO STARBUCKS COFFEE, LUNCHES, DINNERS, ALCOHOL PURCHASES, ETC.

The second to make her giggle was number 27:

NO EMPLOYEE OF MLSE SHALL GIVE, REVEAL, OR PUBLISH THE PERSONAL PHONE NUMBERS OF ANY MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PRESIDENT, CHAIRMAN, ETC., TO ANY OUTSIDE PARTY.

And, of course, the best one, number 32:

NO EMPLOYEE OF MLSE SHALL PURSUE OR ENTER INTO A ROMANTIC OR PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY MEMBER OF THE COMPANY’S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS, THE TORONTO RAPTORS, THE TORONTO F.C., THE TORONTO ARGONAUTS, THE TORONTO MARLIES, THE RAPTORS 905, OR TORONTO F.C. II.

She wondered what happened to whatever poor schmuck to get _that_ made into a rule and published in the employee handbook. 

“Aberdeen,” Mr. Shanahan’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see his head popped out from the doorway. “I need you to go pick up coffee for the meeting at 10am. Now write this down,” he said. She grabbed a stickie note and a pen as quickly as she could. “One no foam skim latte with an extra shot, and three drip coffees with room for milk, searing hot. And I mean searing. Get them here as soon as possible.”

“Yes sir,” she said, ripping the stickie note off the pad and jumping up from her seat, almost forgetting her purse.

“Yes _Brendan_ ,” he called out after her, chuckling to himself. 

As she made her way through the hallways, a tall figure appeared at the end, where the staircase was. She recognized it as Ethan, the man who had called her ‘Abbie’ just hours earlier. “Hey Girl Friday,” he greeted her, his voice sounding much sleazier now that he wasn’t in the company of colleagues. “You doing a coffee run?”

“ _Yes._ ”

“Good. We need two americanos with room for milk, one grande skinny vanilla bean latte, and one venti extra shot extra hot caramel macchiato with coconut milk.”

“W—What?” she asked.

“Write it down!” his tone was a bit harsh, but she did as she was told. “Brendan’s assistant runs coffee for us all the time. Do you need me to repeat it?”

“No,” she said, somewhat glaring at him. She knew the role of personal assistants – she wasn’t an idiot. “Anything else?”

“A blueberry scone,” he said as he disappeared into his office again, wiggling his eyebrows at her before shutting the door. She shuddered. 

The Starbucks down near the foot of the building apparently liked to take it’s sweet-ass time. She was in a rush because she knew the meeting started at 10, and they would have probably liked to have walked in to Mr. Shanahan’s office seeing their coffees, but that wasn’t going to be the case. The baristas didn’t finish making them until 10:10, and then she had the conundrum of how she was going to transport eight coffees and a scone without everything spilling everywhere. She wasn’t a clown despite how much this felt like a circus, so she couldn’t juggle them in her arms. Eventually, one of the cashiers found cardboard cup carriers, so they hung all the cups from those and she was on her way, rushing through the building and back up to the floor. 

The second she got off the elevator, Ethan was there waiting. “What took you so long?” he demanded as he finished typing something into his phone.

“Here,” she practically flung the coffees at him for him to carry.

“No no, you need to deliver them to the guys in the office,” he didn’t even reach out for them. “Come on, this way,” he said, having the audacity to snap his fingers for her to follow him like she was a dog.

What the _fuck_ had she gotten herself into here?

After she delivered the coffees, she made a beeline towards Mr. Shanahan’s office. “Is there some reason the coffees aren’t here? Has she died or something?” she saw him pop his head out of the room. He was asking no-one in particular, of course, since she was the only one who was supposed to be there. But then he heard her footsteps, and her saw her rushing down the hall, and he stepped out of his office, closing the door behind him. “Aberdeen, where have you been?”

“I – Ethan – I had to get coffee for Ethan and his department—”

“ _What_?” Brendan asked. “Ethan who? Please don’t tell me Ethan Baker.”

“Y—Yes—”

“Aberdeen, why would you go and get coffee for tech and video?”

She felt stupid. She knew she fucked up, and she didn’t want to have to explain it to him in excruciating detail, although that’s perhaps what Mr. Shanahan wanted. “He – he saw me in the hallway and told me your assistant gets coffees for them all the time—”

“Listen to me Aberdeen,” he said, his tone serious and his voice curt. His voice was in one of those harsh whispers that could tear apart your soul. “Your title at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment reads _executive assistant to the president_. _I_ am the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club, _not_ Ethan Baker. You run errands for _me_ , you get _my_ coffee, and you do as _I_ say, not as anybody else in this entire hockey club says, the least of which _Ethan Baker_. Do I make myself clear?” he asked.

She could feel tears welling in her eyes. “Yes sir.”

“Good. Now give me the coffee and man the desk. You can take your lunch hour at noon.”

She handed the coffee over to him and he walked back into his office. A small applause erupted at the arrival of the coffee. Mr. Shanahan closed the door behind him. 

She felt like she was going to be sick. 

***

After finished inputting the game schedule into the calendar and taking a few messages from phone calls (one rudely hung up on her when she asked how to spell Bergevin), Aberdeen saw it was noon and took out her lunch. She left her desk to go warm it up in the staff kitchen, but…couldn’t _exactly_ remember where it was. She panicked. She slipped into the door where she thought she remembered it was, based on what Brendan had pointed out _very_ quickly earlier in the day. 

When she walked through the door, letting it close behind her, she was not greeted with a kitchen. She was not greeted with a staff room. She was not even greeted with an office. Instead, she was greeted with a room completely _full_ of men who were shirtless and in either tight workout gear or _tight_ underwear. 

Bulges out.

Thighs out. 

Eyes on her.

“ _Oh sweet baby Jesus_ ,” she gasped, her eyes going wide before turning around violently and slamming her entire body into the door because she forgot to turn the knob. She did it again before her brain registered ‘ _TURN THE FUCKING KNOB!!!’_ and when she did, she slipped out quickly.

The first thing she saw were the words “STAFF KITCHEN” written on a door across from her.

She should quit now. She should really just quit now and go live in a hole forever. 

She escaped into the staff kitchen, popping her Tupperware into the microwave and setting the time for three minutes. Half way through, the door opened again, and a middle-aged man with a Maple Leafs t-shirt and shorts on walked in.

“Hello,” he greeted her politely. When he got a look at who she was, he smiled. “Hey, don’t feel bad. Happened to me the first day too. Luckily that was where I had to go, though.” She smiled politely at the man. Obviously he’d seen her be a complete idiot. “I’m Jason Spezza. It’s nice to meet you,” he extended his hand.

Jason Spezza. _Jason Spezza_. Where had she heard that name before? Then it hit her – in the employee directory. Jason Spezza was one of the Maple Leafs. _She had just walked into the Toronto Maple Leafs semi-nude_. She felt like barfing. “Nice to meet you,” she said meekly, shaking his hand. “I’m Aberdeen Bloom.”

“First day on the job, Aberdeen?” he asked. She nodded her head. “What’s your position?”

“Um, I’m Mr. Shanahan’s new executive assistant,” she said. She didn’t even know if she was allowed to talk to him. All the rules from the MLSE Employee Handbook were running through her mind. Would she get fired for this? _He started it_.

“Ah! Cool!” he smiled. The microwave began to beep, signalling it was done. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of you then.”

“I guess so,” she mumbled, opening the door to the microwave and grabbing her Tupperware. “Have a good day.”

She rushed back to her desk, wanting nothing more than to just crawl into a hole and die.

***

When Brendan was finished with his meeting, he called Aberdeen into his office. She’d finished lunch by then, and was patiently waiting for the phone to ring. He was still sitting at his desk as she walked in.

“Any phone calls?” he asked. 

“One from Tampa Bay, but they said it wasn’t urgent,” she informed him. “And one calling on behalf of a Mr. Bergevin. I think they said they were from Montreal.”

She could see a small smile appear on his face. Maybe he was in a better mood now after his meeting. “Thank you, Aberdeen. Anything else?”

_Yeah, I totally walked into your hockey team half naked_. “May I ask you a question, sir?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Am I allowed to like…talk to the Maple Leafs?”

Brendan removed his glasses. “What do you mean? _Talk_?”

“Um, well, I know you said – and in the handbook – I was in the kitchen during lunch and Jason Spezza came in and struck up a conversation with me and—”

“Aberdeen,” Brendan interrupted her with a slight chuckle. “Aberdeen…you can _talk_ to the players. I expect you to _talk_ with them and to _talk_ with any other employees of MLSE – Maple Leafs, Raptors, whatever.”

“Oh. Okay. Because he was very friendly and I didn’t want to be rude and—”

“It’s okay to be cordial and be friends in a professional setting. You’re going to be around them constantly and be travelling with them almost as much. You’ll be in the private jet with them and attending events big and small. It’s going to be natural to become friends. The problem is if anything goes further than talking. Romantic relationships, friends with benefits, _hooking up_ as the kids are saying these days—”

“I would _never_ ,” she interrupted him. “I would never, Mr. Shanahan.”

“I know you wouldn’t. Don’t worry,” he said, putting his glasses back on. “And stop calling me Mr. Shanahan. I told you that you can call me Brendan.”

Aberdeen was still uncomfortable with the notion. “I don’t think you understand. My parents are immigrants. If they found out I didn’t call someone sir or ma’am or mister or misses they’d guillotine me.”

Brendan looked at her, a smirk on his face. “You’ll get used to it, Miss Bloom. Now come with me. You’re going to meet the only other man you can take orders from.” 

His name was Kyle Dubas. He was the young general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs – the other man most responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The “only other man you can take orders from” turned out to be a joke, because Kyle had his own executive assistant – Peter, much _much_ nicer than Ethan – who was responsible for that. Kyle was incredibly nice and welcoming, and Aberdeen had to admit it put her at ease. Even Peter made her feel welcome. 

When she and Brendan got into the elevator after leaving, there was already a man inside. “Ah, Mr. Tanenbaum,” Brendan greeted him warmly. Aberdeen smiled politely, but internally she was freaking out. She’d seen Mr. Tanenbaum on TV lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the Raptors won the NBA title. Now she was stuck in an elevator with him. _What was her life?_

“Brendan,” Mr. Tanenbaum nodded courteously. “How’s the preparation for the season going?”

“Great,” Brendan said. “I must say, our most organized ever.”

“Great. I hear we’re close to signing Mitch. It should happen any day now.” Brendan nodded his head silently. “What’s that costing me?”

“Ten-point-eight million, on average,” Brendan revealed. Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of her head.

“Must be a great winger,” Mr. Tanenbaum commented, causing both men to laugh. He then focused his attention on Aberdeen. “Larry Tanenbaum,” he extended his hand across Brendan for her to shake.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is Aberdeen Bloom, my new executive assistant,” Brendan introduced them quickly as the elevator pinged and the doors opened. 

“Congratulations young lady. A million people would kill for that job,” he pointed at her as he left. 

Brendan looked at her. “That’s Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of MLSE.”

“I know who he is,” she said. Brendan looked shocked. “I mean, I watched him lift the Larry O’Brien in June.”

Brendan smiled – a real, genuine smile at something she’d said. “So you watch _some_ sports.”

***

“We can be done for the day, Aberdeen,” Brendan announced once his meeting with Hayley Wickenheiser was over. It was only 4pm, and she had expected to be at the office until later, so she was pleasantly surprised. “You’re free to go. Do you need Lou to give you a ride home?”

“Oh gosh no. I live within walking distance from here. I wouldn’t make him do that,” she said as she gathered her things into her purse. 

“Maybe if it was raining,” Brendan smiled, almost to himself. Aberdeen decided not to respond. “Come on, I’ll see you out. How was your first day?”

_I got yelled at, I went to fetch coffee, and I walked in on the hockey team half naked_. “Great,” she responded. “Thank you for your patience with me. I know I’m still learning but I promise I—”

“Don’t worry about it, Aberdeen,” he said as they walked towards the elevator. “It is very much a learn as you go environment. Especially for someone like you.”

As they stepped into the elevator together, a voice from the end of the hall screamed to hold the door. Brendan stuck his arm out until the person appeared in an impeccably well-tailored suit, slipping by his arm into the elevator. “Hey hey, William!”

“Hey Brendan!” William responded.

Aberdeen looked up. As she did, she looked into a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes. She saw a familiar head of blonde hair. Familiar lips that kissed hers and all the way down her body, making her feel some of the greatest pleasure she’d ever felt in her short life. 

Will. It was fucking _Will_.

“Aberdeen, let me introduce you to William Nylander, one of our star forwards,” Brendan said, introducing them with a giant smile on his face. “William, this is my new executive assistant, Miss Aberdeen Bloom.”

She was going to faint. She was actually going to faint.

“Nice to meet you,” Will said as he shook her hand.

“Likewise,” she squeaked out. She was absolutely fucking mortified. 

“You’ll be seeing a lot of William in the future, Aberdeen, as one of our star players,” Brendan kept talking, but she could barely register his words. Will was still looking directly at her, _directly into her soul_ , and she felt ready to faint. “He’s going to have a great season, this year. We’re all looking forward to it.”

She had hooked up with a Toronto Maple Leaf. Oh my _fucking_ God, _she had hooked up with a Toronto Maple Leaf_. And now they worked at the same company. For the same _team_. Under the same roof. They’d be flying together. Travelling together. Attending charity and gala events together. The words from the MLSE Employee Handbook flashed in her mind. _No employee of MLSE shall pursue or enter into a romantic physical relationship with any member of the company’s professional sports teams, including but not limited to: the Toronto Maple Leafs…_

“I look forward to working with you,” Will said, his eyes flashing as he continued to look at her, a smile playing on his face. 

She gulped. She’d slept with a Toronto Maple Leaf and she had to keep it a secret. Nobody could find out that they hooked up.

_Absolutely nobody._


	4. Chapter 3

**September 13 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was absolutely fucking _bricking it_. 

These were the things she knew as an absolute certainty: William Nylander – she had learned his full name – was a Toronto Maple Leaf. She had hooked up with him in June one week after her graduation from university. He’d gone back to Sweden for the summer to be with his family. Now he was back in Toronto because _he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs_. And now, she worked as the executive assistant to the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

She had no clue how she got herself into this situation, no clue what she was going to do in this situation, and no clue how she was going to get out of this situation.

She was going to have to see him practically _every fucking day_.

Aberdeen knew she couldn’t let this get the best of her, her mind, or her emotions. She was brought on board to do a job, and she was going to do that job to the best of her abilities. No bullshit, no problem. William wasn’t going to stand in her way of doing well and doing her job for Mr. Shanahan. Regardless of how blue his eyes were. Regardless of how blonde his hair was. Regardless of how cute he looked. Regardless of how hot he looked in a suit. Regardless of how every time she looked at him, she began to remember how his hands felt on her hips and how his lips felts on her bare skin…

_No. Stop it._

By the end of the week, she’d met the entire team – Mr. Shanahan had ushered her into the locker room to introduce her to everyone and she waved shyly at all of them before they gave her polite nods and waves of their own. She wondered if any of them recognized her from when she accidentally walked in on all of them topless and in their underwear. They probably did. Nobody recovered from something like that. Throughout the week, many of them saw her in the hallways and came up to introduce themselves personally. She thought that was nice. Sometimes, she’d see William hanging out in the background, waiting for his teammate, but staring directly at her. 

Now came her first trip, one that she found out about on Wednesday – she was going to St. John’s, Newfoundland. She was lucky Kasha was one of her best friends and agreed to watch and feed Minerva because she’d be gone for six days. Leaving on Friday, coming back late Wednesday night, after the exhibition game in Ottawa. It would be interesting, that’s for sure. She’d never been to Newfoundland.

Lou drove her and Mr. Shanahan to Pearson Airport (Kyle Dubas had to stay back to negotiate a contract and sign someone, but he’d be there eventually too), where she was led to a private hangar. Most of the team was already there, and a bunch of people Aberdeen didn’t recognize. She noticed William in the crowd already staring at her as she walked in, a beanie lazily placed on top of his head. He was sitting beside Kasperi, who was trying to show William something on his phone. She tried to look away, but couldn’t.

“That’s media,” Brendan told her, finally breaking her concentration. “They travel with us on road trips.”

“But this is only the start of training camp…” Aberdeen said, not quite understanding why they were already here if the season hadn’t even started yet.

Brendan chuckled from beside her. “You’ve got a lot to learn about the sports media in Toronto…especially for the Leafs,” he commented. 

“Sorry,” she apologized for no good reason.

“That’s okay. You’ve got a lot of time to learn.”

When everybody began to board, she began to gather all of the things she’d taken out of her bag while they waited. She almost jumped out of her skin when somebody behind her asked, “Do you need help carrying your bag?”

She spun around and saw William behind her, watching her as she stuffed everything into her bag. “No,” she said, turning back around because she couldn’t look at him.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“There’s an entire team of big burley hockey players ready to help.”

“No thank you,” she said again, zipping it up and walking away. 

On the private jet, she learned about the seating hierarchy. The team got the back of the plane; media and other team personnel at the front. She learned that the seats were giant, only two to a row, and she got her own row – a window seat right behind Mr. Shanahan. She learned about the impeccable catering on board and the menu provided for them. She learned that everybody was more relaxed on the charter flight – even the team, as they let loose and began to play cards, loosening their ties and taking off their suit jackets. 

She learned that every time she stood up or looked behind her, William was almost always already looking at her. 

***

**September 14 th, 2019**

Practices were not usually watched by the general public, but because NHL hockey came to Newfoundland so rarely, tickets were sold to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs practice. The arena was full, and before the boys stepped out onto the ice, Aberdeen had to coordinate Mr. Shanahan completing some media interviews for local news stations before they were able to retire from that and actually _watch_ the practice. They sat together, looking out onto the rink as Aberdeen had her iPad in her lap to co-ordinate a few more media interviews after the practice was done. 

“Sir, can I ask you a question?” she asked. 

“Brendan,” her corrected her. She still felt uncomfortable about calling him that, so she wasn’t going to. “Shoot.”

“The drill they’re doing right now. What’s it called?”

Brendan looked at her briefly, smiling slightly. “It’s to practice backchecking.”

She nodded her head. “What’s a backcheck?” she asked, feeling stupid. All of these terms were like a foreign language to her. She didn’t know how people spoke using these words in coherent sentences.

“Backchecking is when the other team has the puck, and we need to rush back to the defensive zone to stop their attack,” Brendan explained.

“So…it’s trying to stop the other team from scoring.”

Brendan smiled again, wider this time. “You’re learning.”

“I figured I should learn about the sport I’m going to be surrounded by,” she shrugged her shoulders. “So that must mean the forecheck is attacking…trying to score.”

“Exactly.”

“Who are our best goal scorers?”

Brendan considered her question. He knew he could answer it in many different ways. “Well, if we’re talking about pure numbers, John Tavares – last season he scored forty-seven goals. Anything above fifty is, like, at the super-elite level. But then there’s Auston Matthews – he’s probably the most elite pure goal-scorer in the league, save for Connor McDavid. Thirty-seven goals last season. Mitchy scored twenty-six. And then there’s the other guys – Kasperi, Andreas, and Zach all scored twenty last season. Morgan Rielly, our best defenseman – _he_ even scored twenty last season. He was a monster. Didn’t get nominated for the Norris, stupidly, but a monster nonetheless. And William Nylander – elite goal scorer too. His numbers last year don’t reflect that because he only played a half a season, but he’s as elite as the rest of them.”

At the mention of William’s name, Aberdeen shifted uncomfortably. She tried not to pay attention to anything he said about William because it would just lead her to the memories, and then she’d be done for. “So we’re a good team,” she inferred from what Brendan was telling her. 

Brendan chuckled this time. “You could say that.”

When the practice was over, she organized for Mr. Shanahan to do more media. Everybody was eating him up. He gave great soundbites, talked about the hockey scene in Newfoundland, and about the Leafs practice. He, of course, picked up on things during practice Aberdeen didn’t even notice. The reporters ate it up like they couldn’t get enough. And when Mr. Shanahan was finished, they waited somewhat impatiently for the players. 

Hockey clearly meant a lot to everyone around her. It was what drove them, what sustained them, and what they were passionate about beyond everything else. She had to make sure she kept up with their intensity, or else she felt like everything that the success of her in her job depended on may crumble.

***

When the day was done, the team, management, and media retreated back to the hotel. It was around 6pm, and there were a lot of people in the lobby, figuring out their next steps. As Aberdeen walked through the doors with Mr. Shanahan, she saw everybody congregating in their groups. Some of the players had already changed out of their workout gear and into casual clothes, obviously ready to go out for a bite to eat. She hoped that the hotel had room service, because she knew exactly what she’d be doing for the rest of the night.

“Aberdeen, do you have plans tonight?” Brendan asked suddenly, taking his phone out of his pocket.

“No sir. Just room service for dinner and—”

“Oh, Aberdeen!” he cut her off, his tone almost scolding. “You’re twenty-one years old and you’re in St. John’s. You can’t stay in and order _room service_.”

Easy for him to say. “Well—”

“Do you want to come to dinner with me and some of the hockey ops guys?” he asked politely. She knew he was just doing this to be exactly that – polite. There was no way he would want to hang out with his executive assistant outside of work hours. 

“I’m fine. It’s okay—”

“Hey Brendan,” they suddenly heard a voice. They turned their heads to see Jason Spezza approaching them. He was dressed much better than most of the other guys, and Aberdeen attributed that to the fact that he was older. “We were wondering if we could take Aberdeen out to dinner to show her around St. John’s.”

She looked behind Jason to see Kasperi, John, Morgan, and _William_. Her eyes bulged out of her head. “Oh, thank you for the offer, but it’s okay—”

“What a great idea!” Brendan exclaimed at the same time, turning at her and smiling. “You got out of dinner with us old bozos!”

“No no no—”

“Have fun!” Brendan said as he began walking away, joining another group of men and slapping one of them on the back.

Aberdeen looked up at Jason. Her cheeks flushed red with anxiety at the prospect of spending _hours_ with them. “You need to calm down,” Jason told her. “We’re just guys.”

“You’re the _Toronto Maple Leafs_ ,” she stressed, trying not to meet William’s eye.

“So?” he shrugged his shoulders. “We’re just trying to be nice, Aberdeen. I don’t want to see you all alone when everyone else on the team is going to be out having fun.”

“Why not?”

Jason shrugged his shoulders. “Because you’re part of the team now.”

Aberdeen considered the words coming out of Jason’s mouth. It hadn’t even been a week since her first day, since she walked in on everyone in their underwear, and already she was “part of the team” and invited to go out to dinners with them. She didn’t understand. Why were they being so nice? She was a nobody – to them, to the organization, to the world. She was only a personal assistant. “But—”

“Aberdeen, the more the argue this, the more you’re going to have to hear my voice telling you to come,” Jason said. “Are you really going to make me beg?”

His damn puppy dog eyes were the only, and she means the _only_ reason she gave in.

***

Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen joined the group before they left to walk along Water Street, eventually choosing a fresh seafood restaurant to have dinner in (because why go to St. John’s and _not_ get fresh caught seafood?). Aberdeen walked alongside Jason making small talk with him, with Auston, Fred, Morgan, and John ahead of them and William and Kasperi behind them. Once they were seated at the restaurant, she found herself sandwiched between Jason and Morgan. William was right across from her. 

“So where are you from, Aberdeen?” John asked as everyone finished giving their order to the waiter. 

“I was born and raised in Toronto. Etobicoke, actually,” she said. “Royal York and Bloor. But south of Bloor – not the Kingsway. Nobody can afford to live in the Kingsway. Well – you guys can,” she rambled, finally stopping to take a sip of her water.

“Any siblings?” Morgan asked.

“My older sister Siena is 23. She’s at the University of Ottawa for law school. Then there’s the baby Camden. He just turned eleven this summer.”

“That’s quite the spread,” Kasperi commented. She could see William side-eye him, not appreciating the comment. It was a fair comment, but Aberdeen hated when people made it. Yes, there was a huge gap between them. So what? Lots of families had huge gaps between siblings. Hers was not unique. 

“He was definitely an oops baby, if that’s what you mean,” she deadpanned, looking right at him.

“Oh no no no – I didn’t mean it like that at all—” he tried to cover himself.

“Dude, there’s ten years between Daniella and I,” William quipped.

“Yeah but there’s _three other kids_ in between you guys—”

“Will you two just be quiet? God you’re like Tweedledee and Tweedledum,” Morgan said. “Ignore them, Aberdeen. What do your parents do?”

“My mom is an elementary school teacher and my dad is a mailman with Canada Post.”

“And who’s your favourite Toronto Maple Leaf?” William asked, taking his own sip from his drink. The way he was looking at her would make any girl’s head spin, and it made Aberdeen’s spin for a split second before she remembered that she was at a table full of men who happened to be his teammates and who would _most definitely_ notice any suspicious behaviour on her part. 

“Not any of you,” she said in a playful tone, causing the whole table to ooh and aww and clutch their hearts. 

“Really? Even when we’re buying you dinner?” William continued.

“You’re going to need to do more than that,” she smiled.

“You mean buy you a drink? You like vodka-based stuff?”

Aberdeen’s face dropped. Vodka was the main alcohol in all the cucumber mules she drank when she met him at King Taps. Drinking all those cucumber mules was the reason she let all her inhibitions go and brought him back to her place to sleep with him. Well that, and his personality. And his eyes. And his hair. And his body. And his – _snap out of it!_ “I’m more of a gin girl myself,” she said, bringing her class of water to her lips again.

“Could have fooled me,” he quipped.

Morgan brought the conversation back to hockey – why they were all there. The boys let her in on a few traditions and the etiquette around the arena, especially on game days. When she asked about all the media on the trip and why they were they everybody let out a collective groan and explained to her how hounding the media was in Toronto. When the food came the talk died down a bit but John began explaining to her the rivalries, the divisions, the conferences, who the Leafs liked and didn’t like, teams to watch out for as well as teams with friends on them. Their good friend Tyler Ennis, who just played on the Leafs last year was now in Ottawa, and they’d be seeing him at the season opener. Aberdeen wished she had a notebook where she could write this all down. Jason explained how excited he was for the season opener – how he got some tickets for his extended family and friends to see him play. Auston explained how his parents would be flying in from Arizona. It was all very nice to hear.

Jason ended up paying for her meal even though she fought him on it. When they decided to leave, the owner of the restaurant came out to shake hands with all of them and asked for a picture. They obliged, and the owner was over the moon. He said he was going to blow up the picture, frame it, and put it right at the entrance. That’s when Aberdeen understood how hockey crazed some people could be. 

Instead of going directly back to the hotel, Morgan persuaded everyone to take a walk down by the harbour. He used the map on his phone to guide them, and Aberdeen would unintentionally hold the group up by taking pictures of all the old and colourful buildings. She couldn’t help it – if traveling was going to be a perk of the job, then she was going to enjoy it as much as possible. 

The harbour was beautiful, even though it was dark, and she made a mental note to come back if she had any free time when it was light out. She also wanted to climb Signal Hill. She took out her phone and clutched it in her hands shyly, looking at the guys talking amongst one another. “Um…can someone take a picture of me?”

Jason, of course, was the only one who heard her. “Give me your phone,” he extended his hand, and she gave it to him as she went to pose along the guardrail. He took a few photos, and even turned on the flash. All the guys watched on, and Aberdeen felt a bit awkward. Apparently, Jason sensed it. “Can we make it look like she has friends?” he announced to the guys, causing them all to laugh. “Jesus fuck, guys. Go pose with her.”

They all surrounded her, throwing their arms over each other. Auston draped his arm over her shoulder. Fred’s extended all the way to her shoulders too, despite being a two people away from her.

William’s was the only arm around her waist. 

***

**September 17 th, 2019**

“You could have said I was your favourite the other night,” a voice Aberdeen could only place as William’s said as she was looking down at her iPad. Everybody was in Mile One Stadium for the game, and the arena was already full with eager fans. 

She didn’t even know how he found her. Wasn’t he supposed to be getting ready? How did he have the time to bother her and be a menace? “But you’re not my favourite.”

“Ouch, Aberdeen,” he put his hand over his heart like the rest of the guys had done that night at dinner. 

“Well you’re not,” she reiterated.

“Then let me rephrase the question,” he started, “You could have said I was _fucking awesome_.”

Aberdeen’s face dropped again. Yet again, those were the words she had used after they’d finished having sex. She blurted them out, but he agreed. God, to think that it stroked his ego for _months_ and he still remembered _months_ after the fact. “What are you trying to do here?” she asked him.

“When we met in June you kept talking and talking and I let you because I love the sound of your voice,” he said. Her heart stopped beating momentarily. She was hyperaware of the present tense use of ‘love’ and not ‘loved’ in his sentence. “I’m just trying to talk to you.”

She shook any thought about that night or about _“I love hearing you talk”_ out of her head as she got up. This was all a game to William – that much she figured. Why else would he find her? Why else would he repeat her words back at her and taunt her with them? Why else would he offer to buy her a drink in front of six of his teammates? She didn’t know if he was telling the truth, if he was just taunting her, or… _God_ , what if he wanted to hook up again? Was he really that kind of guy that he was doing all this again to somehow _seduce_ her? A fun little romp with the office girl so he could show off to all his buddies? Regardless of what it was, Aberdeen knew this was dangerous, extremely dangerous. It was a game she wasn’t willing to play when so much was on the line for her personally and professionally. 

“Well, don’t,” she huffed, staring at him. “This isn’t a game and I’m not a pawn. I’m here to work and do a good job. I’m _most definitely_ not here to keep you entertained,” she said, walking away from him. 

***

**September 18 th, 2019**

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost both exhibition games to Ottawa, but it didn’t really matter because they were just that – exhibition games. Mr. Shanahan was still peeved that they lost, but he took it in stride. When their charter plane finally landed in Toronto at around 11:45 at night on Wednesday, Aberdeen was ready for bed. All she wanted to do was cuddle Minerva and sleep for twelve hours. She was especially excited to have the day off tomorrow. She could at least do laundry. 

When they were free to get her luggage, the tag-team of Tyson Barrie and Jason Spezza made sure they got her bag for her. Mr. Shanahan had already left – he was the first one off the flight – because his son was picking him up, and he didn’t want him waiting and getting a ticket. 

“Aberdeen, do you have a ride? Is somebody picking you up?” John asked, extending the handle on his luggage. From behind him, she noticed William lurking and waiting for her answer.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m just hopping on the UP,” she waved him off. She would have to ask an airport employee where to get the UP Express.

“What? No way,” John shook his head.

“No no no,” said William from behind him, shaking his head.

“No no no,” said Travis who was standing by her, shaking his head.

“No no no,” said Tyson who was also standing by her, shaking his head.

“No,” John repeated. You would think she said she was going to _walk_ the entire way home instead of take public transit. “You live downtown, right? That’s what you said at dinner?” he asked, but didn’t even wait for her to respond. “Who’s going downtown and can drop off Aberdeen?” John asked loudly so everyone could hear.

“It’s fine, it’s really fine—” she tried to intervene.

“Bee’s coming to pick me up – we can drop Aberdeen off no problem,” Morgan offered. 

“I’ve got Saylor picking me up,” Kasperi offered.

“Morgan will do it,” John said quickly. 

Aberdeen looked over at Morgan. “You really don’t have to—”

“Nonsense,” he extended the handle on his luggage. “Follow me.”

He led her out of the private hangar towards a black Honda Civic. Aberdeen watched as a girl got out of the car. She was unconventionally pretty, with beautiful long hair. She wore comfy looking oversized cardigan and plain black tights. She only assumed this was Morgan’s girlfriend. When they got close, Morgan kissed her. “I volunteered to drive Aberdeen home,” he said, nodding back towards her.

Bee looked at her. “Great! Hop in. Just put your luggage in the backseat – I don’t mind,” she said, turning and getting into the passenger’s seat. Morgan opened the trunk to put his bigger suitcase in before returning to the driver’s seat. Aberdeen had a grip on her luggage. 

“So what position do you have with the Leafs, Aberdeen?” Bee asked from the passenger’s seat, even shifting so she was actually able to look at her.

“I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant.”

“Oh, that’s _so cool_!” Bee smiled. “Brendan’s awesome. But I’m sure you’re realizing that. God, I bet a million people would kill for your job.”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. I didn’t really uh, you know, watch hockey before this.”

“I didn’t either, until I met Morgan,” Bee said. “Don’t worry. It has its way of sucking you in. There’s a certain magic to the game that you can’t get away from. You just have to make sure you keep your head above water.”

“Right.”

“Where do you live, Aberdeen?” Morgan asked, looking at her through the rear-view mirror. 

“Oh! I’m on Nelson Street. It’s near University and Adelaide.”

Bee punched the address Aberdeen gave into her phone. “You let us know whenever you need a ride back into the city from the airport, okay? You’re not that far from us.”

“Um, thank you,” she said as she felt Morgan put the car into drive.

“No problem at all, Aberdeen. _Love_ your name by the way.”

They made small talk throughout the ride, and thankfully, because it was so late, the roads were clear. In just less than twenty minutes, Aberdeen was home. She thanked Morgan and Bee profusely before leaving. Bee watched her go in as Morgan texted on his phone.

“Who are you texting at this hour of the night?” she asked.

“Willy,” he said absent-mindedly. “Wants to make sure we got home okay.”

Bee furrowed her brows. “He’s never texted us about that before.”

Morgan shrugged. “Whatever.”


	5. Chapter 4

**September 28 th 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was letting it all out. 

Siena had called, cooped up in her room in the house she rented with two other girls, taking a break from studying for torts law or shorts law or whatever type of law it was that she had to study. It was these moments – moments when Siena caught up with her younger sister – that reminded her that she was slaving through law school because Aberdeen would probably need a lawyer one day after doing something colossally stupid. She’d usually start the conversations with “You can’t tell mom and dad…” and Siena would promise not to. And, well, she’d keep that promise. Because sisters never told. They only ever told on Camden.

Aberdeen told Siena about the night with William in June – she told her about a week later, after Siena was finally settled back into her place in Ottawa. They’d talked about it for a while and had come to terms with the fact that Aberdeen would never see William again because of the whole Sweden thing and because of the fact that Toronto was a city full of a few million people. They’d accepted it and moved on.

But then, of course, William showed up in the elevator on her first day of work and the floodgates opened. 

“Wait…hold on a second,” Siena held her hand up. “You’re telling me you hooked up with a Toronto Maple Leaf.”

“Yes.”

“A hockey player. That guy was a _hockey player_.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Aberdeen stressed. 

“And now…” Siena paused. “You work for the president of the team that he plays for.”

“Precisely.”

Siena let out a long, loud sign, facepalming before rubbing her temples. “I don’t know how you get yourself into these situations, Aberdeen,” she shook her head. “I honestly don’t.”

“I don’t, either.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Aberdeen looked at her sister weird. “There’s nothing I _can_ do about it. It says right in the employee handbook that no employee and player are allowed to hook up. I can’t tell Brendan and William can’t tell the rest of the team. That’s that.”

“Are you scared he might?”

Aberdeen considered the question. “I really don’t know. On one side, I feel like if he really wanted to tell them he would have told them already, and Brendan Shanahan would have found out through the grapevine and I would have already lost my job. Like, I wouldn’t have even gone to Newfoundland. On the other hand, I feel like the comments he’s been saying to me just make it seem like this is a game to him and he’s waiting on the most opportune moment to tell.”

“Comments?” Siena asked. 

Aberdeen sighed. “I went to dinner with a bunch of them in St. John’s because Jason invited me, and he asked me who my favourite Leaf was in this really flirty way,” she explained. “Then a few days later he found me alone and told me I should have said him. Or at least have said he was fucking awesome because that’s what I said that night after we hooked up.”

Siena facepalmed again. “Oh, Aberdeen…”

“I know, Siena.”

“Does Kasha know?” she asked.

“Of course Kasha knows.”

“Kasha won’t tell a soul. She’s good like that.”

“ _I know_. My problem here is _William_.”

“Listen, Aberdeen…this is a fucked up situation but it’s…I mean, _technically_ you didn’t hook up with him when you were employee. It was months before. You had no idea who he was. That’s what my lawyer brain is telling me right now.”

“I don’t know if that matters,” Aberdeen said. “I keep getting told that this is the dream job, that if I do well with Mr. Shanahan I can have my pick of any job in any field that I want in Toronto, including writing. That’s how well connected he is. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side at all. I have to be on my best behaviour and I have to keep doing well.”

“Then keep being on your best behaviour. Keep doing your job,” Siena encouraged. “And keep William away.”

***

**September 30 th, 2019**

With only two days until the start of the season, Brendan had a lot of meetings with a lot of people. There were meetings with hockey ops, meetings with the head scouts, meetings with player development, meetings with analytics. It was a much busier time than just three weeks ago. _A lot_ more coffee runs. More ordering of catered lunches. More running around like a chicken with her head cut off, like Brendan said she would. And this wasn’t even the start of the season.

Brendan wanted her to sit it in on the meeting he had now with basically the entire senior management so they could go over upcoming events and initiatives they’d put on throughout the season. Kyle Dubas would be there. Brandon Pridham and Laurence Gilman, the assistant general managers would be there. Dave Morrison, the director of player personnel would be there. Brad Lynn, the director of team operations would be there. Stephen Hare, the director of finance would be there. Steve Keogh, the director of media relations would be there. Alison Rockwell, the director of business relations would be there. Leanne Hederson, the manager of hockey operations would be there. 

Aberdeen was clearly studying the employee directory. 

They had a list of things to talk about, and talked through them _all_. Aberdeen had her notebook and tried to take notes, but she felt like she was writing a foreign language and none of this would make sense when she went to read them again. There was talk about “You Can Play Night”, about galas, about charity golf tournaments, about community outreach programs, about the alumni events, about the MLSE Launchpad initiatives…

Then they started to talk about alternate jerseys. She thought there was only home and away jerseys, but no, there was apparently a third for a special night. A “St. Pats” jersey. It was green. A definite change from the blue, but they kept going on and on about it. _Do we do this? What about this? How about this?_ It was incredibly pedantic. She felt like she was in science class again, doodling instead of taking notes since she had no clue what was being said or what was going on. 

“Do you think we should go with the same one from last season, or should we choose a new design?” Dave Morrison asked.

“It’s hard to say. If we go with last year’s design, jersey sales may stagnate or decline if we compare it on a year-by-year basis, but a new design will boost that,” Stephen Hare said.

“Well, listen. It’s the 2019-2020 season. We can go with the design from 1919-1920,” Brandon Pridhan said, pulling up the mock-ups of the jersey. Aberdeen took into account the green and white, the lettering, everything. “Or should we balk the season number and go with this one, the 1926-1927 season design?” he held up the other mock-up. It was basically the exact same design, except the colours were inverted. 

They were having an extremely serious and long discussion about _this_? Aberdeen snorted from the corner.

Suddenly, when she looked up, every eye in the room was on her. The smile immediately dropped from her face. Brendan was looking at her. “Something funny?”

Oh shit. _Oh shit_. _Ohfuckohfuckohfuck_. “No, no…” she began, trying to cover for herself. “It’s nothing – you know – it’s just that they look exactly the same to me. I…you know, I’m still learning about all this stuff.”

“This… _stuff_?” Brendan asked, repeating her words. The look that he gave her – she never wanted to be looked at like that again for the rest of her life. “Oh…okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You get hired by the Maple Leafs and you sit in on this meeting with, oh I don’t know, that iPad Pro which the company paid for, and you scoff because you think we’re taking this too seriously, and you don’t care about what jerseys fans put on their back. But what you don’t know is that this hockey sweater is not just blue and white, it’s not just green and white, it’s actually a _symbol_ ,” he paused, moving from his spot at the table, walking around it. “You’re also blindly unaware of the fact that in 1919 the Toronto Arenas were about to go under, only to be saved by a group of investors who renamed the team the Toronto St. Patricks, and who later made Conn Smythe their managing partner and their eventual owner. Conn Smythe ended up changing their name in 1927 to the Toronto Maple Leafs because that maple leaf was the national symbol of Canada and, as he said, a badge of courage and a reminder of home of when he was a Canadian Army officer during World War One,” he picked the design he liked most from Brandon and pinned it onto the board, taking another from the pile. Aberdeen’s heart stopped beating. “The blue and white, he said, represented the Canadian skies and Canadian snow. The name has changed, the investors have changed, and the logo has seen design changes, but _that_ maple leaf is a symbol that represents the identity of Toronto, the history of this city, and the pride of the country. It represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you ever made a choice that exempted you from caring about these jerseys when, in fact, this city’s identity and one of the most well-known national symbols were selected for you by the people in this room who ran this hockey club. All because of the influence of this _stuff_.”

He held onto a picture, holding it face up. She broke eye contact to look down at it, only to see it was the maple leaf that was currently on the jersey. The thirty-one points, meant to represent 1931 and the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens; the 17-vein detail, meant to represent when the franchise was founded in 1917; the 13 veins at the top, meant to represent the 13 Stanley Cup championships. She realized what this symbol meant to not only the people in this room, but to the city, to the fabric and identity of it, to its storied past and bright future. She realized the history behind it, the countless people who wore the sweater or jersey with pride for over a century now. She realized how wrong and careless she’d been. 

When she looked back up, Brendan was staring at her. So was everyone else still seated at the board table, some of them with amused looks on their faces. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” she said, barely above a whisper because she was too embarrassed to even speak. She clutched her iPad Pro and took the picture, walking out of the room.

The second the door closed behind her, she burst out into tears. The tears streamed down her face as she escaped into the washroom, slamming the stall door behind her and locking it before breaking down in the bathroom stall. Brendan Shanahan had just embarrassed her in front of some of the hockey world’s most important people and _she deserved it_. She couldn’t believe she could be so fucking stupid and so dumb and callous and just such a…such an _idiot_. And now here she was, crying about it in a bathroom stall. She’d never be able to recover from this. Brendan would think she was an idiot until the day she died. He’d die before her and in heaven he’d still think her an idiot.

She stayed in the bathroom stall for a while, crying it all out and eventually stopping because she had no more energy to cry. She opened the stall door and looked at herself in the mirror, trying to wipe away the tears. Her eyes were red and of course, her cheeks were stained with tears, but she was thankful that she wore waterproof mascara that day. She tried to collect herself, even though she had just made a complete ass of herself. She still had a full day of work to do. She still had to make it until 5pm. Somehow. 

When there was nothing more she could do to fix her appearance, she sighed and decided to head back to her desk, ready to face whatever punishment Brendan was going to give her when he got out of the meeting. There was nothing more she could say or do. She swung open the door to the washroom and stepped out into the hallway. 

Although when she did, she crashed into a body. When she looked up, it was, of course, none other than William Nylander. Because her day couldn’t get any better from here. “Hey,” he said, smiling at her. 

“What do you need?” she asked, not bothering to greet him.

He noticed the tone of her voice and the redness of her eyes and immediately changed his demeanour. “What’s wrong?”

She side-eyed him. As if he cared. “I just made a complete ass of myself in front of Brendan. No biggie,” she huffed. 

“Did you get a coffee order wrong or something?”

Now she _really_ side eyed him. She understood the stereotype of personal assistants, but this was not the time to start making jokes and devaluing her job. “What do you want? Why are you even in the offices?” she asked. 

He shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted to see you.”

She scoffed. “Oh, get a life, William.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know why you feel the need to keep taunting me when we’re on the job, but it needs to stop,” she said. “Don’t you have drills to go through? Don’t you like, I don’t know, need to tape a stick?”

It was his turn to give her a look. “Hey, don’t be mad at me just because you screwed up at your job today. I came up here to see you because I wanted to see you. I’m trying to be nice.”

“Taunting me at my job isn’t being _nice_ ,” she said. “If you can’t tell, I’m not having a good day. So I’d appreciate it if you just… _wouldn’t_.”

“Whatever you did can’t be worse than sleeping with a Maple Leaf and then working for his boss,” William retorted. 

Okay, _now_ she was angry. She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the small kitchen – the one she’d retreated to when she walked in on them in their underwear – and shut the door behind them so they could have a private conversation. “Listen to me,” she began, her voice as steady and as intimidating as it could be. “I know I’m not saving the world or anything, but this job means a lot to me. This isn’t a fucking _game_ to me like it is to you. This is my _life_. This is my _livelihood_. This is my career prospects in _any_ industry in Toronto if I do a good job here. And _you_ , William Nylander, are _not_ going to take that away from me.”

“I’m not trying to take that away from you,” William declared. “Don’t you think that if I didn’t want you here, I would have told the guys or told Brendan already?”

Aberdeen thought back to the conversation she’d had with her sister, where she brought up the exact same point. She shook her head. “Then stop with the comments. Stop with the ‘coming to see me’, flirting in front of your teammates, and the flirting in general.”

“I can’t do that,” he responded. 

“Why not?” she demanded.

“Because I want you.”

The words hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time as William and Aberdeen stared at each other, his blue eyes piercing her hazel ones. Her jaw dropped at his words, and she tried to respond but she couldn’t think of anything to say. There was nothing _to_ say. He just dropped a bombshell and she had no way to recover. He wanted her. _He wanted her._ He…wanted her? “W…What?”

William didn’t respond. He only smiled. He didn’t say anything else as he left those words with her, opening the door and leaving the kitchen, leaving her completely dumbfounded. 

***

Later on that night, as Aberdeen was walking back to her condo after the day’s work (and not seeing Brendan again – probably for the best, since she was going to write out and rehearse her apology she’d tell him tomorrow if she didn’t get a call that she’d been fired tonight), her phone buzzed in her pocket. She assumed that it would be Kasha, wanting to know what they were going to do for dinner. But when she looked at her screen, it was an unknown number that texted her.

_i promise im not going to tell anybody. im not going to tell any of the guys, or kyle, or brendan, or anyone what happened in june. that stays between us._

_im not that guy. i wouldn’t do that to you._

She stopped dead in her tracks. A pedestrian behind her almost crashed into her and yelled at her to watch where she was going. She collected herself and moved off to the side so people could pass by her and she could read the texts over and over and over again. She didn’t even want to know how he got her number. She didn’t want to know what covert operation he pulled. 

She gulped.

***

**October 1 st, 2019**

Aberdeen was impatient in the backseat of the town car as she and Lou waited for Brendan to appear. Her leg was bobbing up and down and she was pretty sure she would have chipped all her nail polish off by now if it wasn’t shellac. She had written out and rehearsed her apology to him and knew exactly how she was going to deliver it. She knew she had to makes things right.

“Miss Bloom,” Lou said from the driver’s seat, looking at her through the rear-view mirror like he often did. “Nervous energy.”

“I’m sorry Lou,” she apologized, trying not to bob her leg. “I just need to say something to Mr. Shanahan.”

“Something bad?”

“How many apologies have you heard in this car?” she asked.

Lou chuckled. “Many, Miss Bloom.”

“How does he react to them?”

Lou shrugged. “Depends.”

She gulped. As if on cue, Brendan emerged from his house. Lou got out of the car to open the door for him. 

“Good morning, Aberdeen,” he said, his voice cheery as he got into the backseat. He already had a stack of newspapers with him. He was acting as if nothing was wrong. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m…good,” she replied, confused. She decided she should just get right into it. “Mr. Shanahan, can I speak to you about something?”

“Brendan,” he corrected her like he always did. He was focused on the newspaper in front of him. “And yes, Aberdeen, you may.”

“Can you look at me?”

That caught his attention. He lowered the newspaper and took off his glasses, waiting for her to begin. She took a deep breath. “I want to sincerely apologize for my comments yesterday in the meeting,” she began. “It was really insensitive of me to scoff, and then to make that comment – just really callous, and I want to apologize. I don’t want you thinking that this job means nothing to me, because it does. It means the world—”

“Aberdeen,” Brendan interrupted her, holding up his hand. She stopped talking, and could tell he was thinking of what to say. “First of all, thank you for your apology,” he began. “What I said to you in that room, in front of everybody – I just wanted to make sure you know the importance of the work we do here.”

“I do. I mean – I do now.”

“Hockey in Toronto is not just hockey,” he began. “It’s a living, breathing entity in and of itself. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will see the importance of not just _my_ work, or the work of anybody else that was in the room that day, but of _your_ work too. You are part of the Toronto Maple Leafs now, Aberdeen, whether you like it or not. You have a role to play here in the success of the team just like anybody else. Just because you’re an executive assistant, it doesn’t mean you don’t.”

“Yes sir,” she nodded her head. 

“I know you have a steep learning curve to go through. I knew that when I hired you. You’ll go through it. And you’ll make a hell of a lot of mistakes along the way. But you’ll go through it. And you’ll come out better. With more knowledge. Understood?”

“Yes sir. Absolutely,” she nodded her head. Brendan sent her a quick smile before putting his glasses back on and focusing on the newspaper again. “So…I guess this means I’m not fired?” she asked, just for reassurance.

That actually got a laugh out of Brendan. “No, Aberdeen. I could never fire an Etobicoke girl.”

***

**October 2 nd 2019**

The season opener was just pure insanity. There was no other way Aberdeen could rephrase it besides that – just pure insanity. Brendan had meetings, she had to coordinate this, she had to run for coffees, she had to go get notes from someone, the phone was ringing off the hook…Lou even had to take her in the town car up to Yorkville, to Prada and to Gucci and to Hermes, so she could pick up ties for him to wear once all the media came rushing in. It was a complete shit show. She barely had time to eat, drink, or even _think_ because she was so busy trying to get everything done. 

But something happened to her once she and Brendan made their way up to the media gondola to sit in the President’s private box with Kyle Dubas and Brandon Pridham: she watched the game. From start to finish, she watched the Toronto Maple Leafs dominate the Ottawa Senators 5-3 to win the game. She saw Auston Matthews score two goals – and William assist beautifully on one of them. It was textbook perfect. She saw the comradery of the boys on the bench. She saw Brendan and Kyle seem excited. 

She remembered back to how excited the people of Newfoundland were at just a practice and an exhibition game. She saw how excited the crowd was tonight at the way the team played and the outcome of the game. 

She began to get it.

She followed Brendan out of the gondola so they could head down to the locker room about five minutes before the game was going to end. When the team began to come in, she wondered if she should clap – her questions were answered when she saw the equipment personnel fist-bump the boys. She held out her hand to show her support. Brendan laughed.

“Wooooo! Let’s go baby!” Auston screamed as he looked directly at her, fist-bumping her with his enormously large hockey glove. In that moment, she was sure one of them was going to knock her over one day.

“Good job boys!” she yelled out as they trickled in. John was next, giving her a fist-bump and a quick nod. 

Morgan saw her and screamed at her. “Wooooo!”

“Wooooo!” she mimicked, smiling from ear to ear as she fist-bumped him. She held her hand out for Andreas, for Kasperi, and for Sandin. William filtered through, and when she caught his eye, a large smile appeared on his face. “Good job boys!” she yelled out again as they fist-pumped.

As they boys filtered into the locker room and began to take off their gear, Brendan walked in, motioning for Aberdeen to follow him. She stood behind him and Kyle Dubas as they watched Mike Babcock make his post-game speech and present the team with one of the Raptors’ game used balls from their championship run. One player would get it after every game won. Auston got it tonight for scoring two goals, and he did a few tricks. 

Aberdeen helped usher Mike into a separate room so he could do post-game media before they went into the locker room. She watched as a horde of reporters stuck microphones into his face and asked him questions about the game. When Brendan called her back into the locker room, he told her he was free to go. 

She looked up at one of the TV monitors that was broadcasting Mike’s interview from the other room live, wanting to hear what good things he had to say before she left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw William approach her, the bottom half of his gear still on, chucking something into the garbage. He stood beside her, looking up at the monitor too to listen in.

“Can you speak to Matthews’s goals tonight? The assist from Nylander must have looked good on your end,” one of the reporters asked.

“Yeah, the goals were good. Looked really good. The assist looked better than the one’s from last season, that’s for sure – he’s clearly been practicing,” Mike began.

Aberdeen didn’t hear anything else he had to say as she furrowed her brows. She knew that she didn’t know anything about hockey, but she thought the team played fantastic tonight. They _won_ , for heaven’s sake. If she was a casual viewer and thought they played well, and that William’s assist on Auston’s goal looked incredible, that had to speak for something, right? A person who wasn’t even a fan being impressed? She didn’t know. But when she looked over at William, she saw a defeated look on his face. He clearly took the comments to heart, and it killed her to see his excitement die down over a stupid comment.

“Does he always give you backhanded compliments?” she asked quietly, looking at him. 

William noticed her looking, and gave her one of those tight-lipped smiles as he shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.”

Aberdeen didn’t like that answer. 


	6. Chapter 5

**October 22 nd, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was tired. 

For the past two – almost three – weeks, her job had been a complete whirlwind. Now that the season had started and was in full swing, she thought back to Brendan’s words about her having to run around like a chicken with its head cut off. He was right. That’s what she was day in, day out. Besides fielding calls from Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, Dallas, and just about every other city with an NHL team, she had to, of course, deal with Brendan’s schedule. He really _was_ the busiest executive in the NHL (not that she had any experience with any others). And that didn’t even include the random things he’d make her do, or the random requests she didn’t know how to fill and would have to decipher. 

“Aberdeen, get me Isaac.”

“I don’t see my breakfast. Where is my breakfast? Where are my eggs?”

“Pick up the samples of the St. Pat’s jersey.”

“Have the brakes checked on my car.”

“Where’s that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning?”

“My son needs a new tie – drop by Versace and pick one up.”

“He also needs a tie pin.”

“Pick up my new shoes from Prada.”

“Where are those files I had last week?”

“Go by Garrison Bespoke and pick up the suits they tailored for me.”

“Get my wife and I a reservation at that place I like.”

It was…interesting. She fulfilled her duties as best she could and Brendan apparently had no complaints. She screwed up on a couple things but he treated her with patience. Was she making any headway? No clue. But as long as Brendan didn’t have any complaints – and as long as she wasn’t screwing up as royally as she did when she scoffed in that meeting – she figured she was doing fine. 

Then there was the complication of winning and losing games. After the Leafs beat Ottawa in the home opener and Columbus in the next game, they lost the next three (William scored his first goal of the season against Montreal. Not that she cared.). A win against Minnesota, then a loss against Washington, then an overtime win against Boston which riled up the team. But then they’d lost the last two – against Minnesota and Boston, again. Now she found herself on the jet, curled up with her knees bunched into her chest, waiting for sleep to overtake her on the short flight home. The jet was quiet. The team didn’t like how they played in Boston. It was a constant up-down in emotions and energy. She tried not to let it get the best of her. 

It was all going to be worth it. Or, at least, it _should_ be worth it. She needed to make it out of this job alive so she could write.

All the while, those words that William said to her kept ruminating in her mind every single day. _I want you._

_I want you._

_I want you._

***

**October 25 th, 2019**

With the San Jose Sharks visiting tonight, Aberdeen was running around the office and answering a lot of phone calls. Brendan wasn’t taking media today, which was nice, and that meant it sort of cleared up her schedule before the game. He wanted her in the box again tonight, which meant she’d be home around 10:30, if all went well. Being in the box was interesting because she was always just one awkward lean in or camera angle away from being on TV whenever they panned to Brendan or Kyle with the cameras. She was sure she’d end up on TV one day, but until then, she did her best remaining low key and staying where she knew she wouldn’t be picked up.

As she made her way back to her desk after lunch, she saw Jason Spezza speaking with Brendan, laughing about something Brendan had said as Brendan was looking down at his phone. When Jason noticed her walking in, he sent a quick nod and smile her way. “What are you doing up here?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Just thought to catch up with Brendan,” he said. “Hey, by the way Shanny, can Aberdeen come to the Halloween party?” Jason asked in an upbeat voice. 

Aberdeen stiffened. Where the hell did this come from? Why was she being invited to a _team_ event? Who in the right mind would invite the president’s executive assistant to the _team_ Halloween party? Brendan was still focused on his phone, but looked up at Jason briefly. “Why would you want her to go?”

“Well, she should get better acquainted with the team, don’t you think?” Jason reasoned, as if the past three weeks of travelling, watching the games, and working around them hadn’t made her better acquainted with the team. What was he up to? She furrowed her brows at him because she knew Brendan wasn’t looking. “She’s going to be working with us for a while…travelling with us like she has been. Plus, she’s new to Toronto. I’d bet she’d love to get to know more people in and around downtown.”

“I’m from Etobicoke – it’s not like I’m from Sudbury or something,” she intervened, trying to bring to light the ridiculousness of the request.

“I suppose she can attend,” Brendan shrugged his shoulders. He was clearly focused on something else – whatever was happening on his phone – because he wasn’t thinking this through. “With a plus one, obviously. She might actually keep you guys on your best behaviour. No social media and all that.”

“Exactly,” Jason smiled. “Thanks, Shanny.” Aberdeen glared at Jason. She wondered who put him up to this because there was no way he came up with this idea on his own. He smiled at her glare. “What are you going to dress up as?”

“You,” she said, causing Jason to laugh and even Brendan, who apparently heard, to giggle. 

“Make sure you get my laugh right if you do,” he said before making to go. “See you after the game, Shanny.”

“Likewise,” he called out. He focused his attention on Aberdeen briefly. “Alright, Aberdeen. Go down near the locker room and I’ll meet you there. All the bags should be in by now.”

She did as she was told, noticing him escaping to his office briefly to make a phone call as she made her way down the stairs and through some hallways to where the team and visitors’ locker rooms were. She saw all the San Jose Sharks’ equipment bags lying in the hallway, not brought into the locker room yet.

“Hey Girl Friday,” the unmistakable voice of Ethan Baker boomed from behind her. She turned around to see him with his phone in his hands smiling at her. “Finally, you’re here. You’ve gotta help carry them in.”

She looked at him like he had three heads. “ _What_?”

“The crew is coming soon, don’t worry. But it needs to start because they’re a bit late and San Jose wants to do their skate soon. Teams usually get angry when their stuff isn’t ready for them,” he explained quickly, but in a tone that clearly spoke volumes. “They’ll be here, don’t worry,” he said as he escaped down the hallway, bringing his phone to his ear to answer a phone call.

Aberdeen looked around awkwardly at all the giant bags in the hallway. There was no way she’d be able to carry one of these – she could _fit_ in them, for heaven’s sake! – but there was also no way she couldn’t do the job when she knew it had to be done. Brendan _did_ mention all the bags would be in…

She looked nervously at the bags. Grabbing the handles of one, she tried to lift it, only to strain herself. She wasn’t expecting it to be that heavy. So instead of carrying, she thought to drag it. As she began to do so, another thought appeared: what if the bag got scratched? Or broke from the dragging, like garbage bags do? There was no way in hell she was going to be responsible for that. So she stopped, gathered all the strength she could within her, and picked it up. When she tried to haul it over her shoulder, she fell. Legitimately fell completely backwards with her legs up in the air and fell onto the bag before rolling onto the floor.

She hoped nobody saw that.

She tried again, this time getting the bag semi over her shoulder and rushing towards the visitor’s locker room, putting it in there. When she got back out, she looked around to see if the crew was coming, even just one of them. They weren’t. So she eyed the next bag. As she did the same thing, hauling the bag over her shoulder, she could feel herself begin to fall backwards again. She looked behind her to try to see if she’d fall on the bag again so break her fall and–

“Whoa whoa whoa _whoa_!” a voice yelled, grabbing her at the waist and helping her regain her balance. Whoever it was pushed the bag off her shoulder, and it landed on the ground with a loud thump. She looked up and it was William. _Of course_ it was William. He just had to be everywhere she was at all times, it seemed. “Aberdeen, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m moving the bags,” she said, a little out of breath.

“ _Why_ are you moving the bags?”

“I got – the crew – the crew is late, and San Jose apparently wants to have their skate—”

“Who told you that?”

“E—”

“Hey Girl Friday, you finished?” a voice down the hallway beamed. Ethan was on his way back, his phone still in his hand. It wasn’t until he got closer that he actually saw William – when he did, his whole demeanour changed. “Hey Will. What are you doing down here?”

“What’s your problem?” William demanded, taking a step forward so Aberdeen was behind him.

“What’s the matter?”

“Why would you lie to her and tell her to bring in the bags?” he asked, pointing to the one on the floor. “She can practically fit in them. There’s no way she’d be able to carry them.”

“It was nothing! It was—”

“What? What was it? Just a harmless rib?” William interrupted him. “She works for nobody here but Brendan, so I don’t know where you get off ordering her around.”

“Will, it’s fine,” she said quietly from behind him.

“Listen, I gotta go back upstairs – my boss is calling me,” Ethan said, walking away from the situation and putting his phone to his ear again. Of course, he took responsibility for nothing and deflected enough to absolve himself of any wrongdoing. 

William watched him as he walked away, glaring the entire time. When he finally focused back on Aberdeen, his looked softened but she could tell he was still angry. “Does he do that a lot?” he asked.

Aberdeen shook her head. There was no way she was going to drag Will into this and tell him about her first day or about any of the other things he’d said to her. It wasn’t Will’s problem and there was no reason for him to get involved. “No, it’s fine,” she shook her head quickly. 

“You’d tell me if he did?”

She knew she had to say yes to get him to calm down, or else God knows what he’d do, so she nodded her head. She looked at the bag on the floor. “What should I do with that?”

“I’ll take care of it, _min skatt_ ,” he mumbled the last two words as he bent to pick it up.

“What was that?” she asked.

Before Will could respond, a loud “Aberdeen!” beamed down from the hallway, and she turned around to see Brendan walking towards her. She looked back at Will, who had lifted the bag easily and put it back where it was. He gave her a knowing nod before she ran towards Brendan. 

Min _what_?

***

Having to run back and forth between the office and the media gondola for Brendan meant that Aberdeen was privy to seeing the team taking part in their pre-game rituals. She obviously didn’t bother any of them, especially Fred, who looked so zoned into whatever hand-eye coordination thing he was practicing. She saw John stretching on a roller, and most of the rest of the team playing keep-ups in a circle, occasionally hitting the exposed pipes in the ceiling or having it bounce off the wall. They would scream and jeer at each other so loudly, calling loud “Mine!” every so often. She thought that they must be letting out any pre-game jitters. Did professional hockey players even get pre-game jitters?

While walking, she caught eyes with Will. He was wearing shorts that hit above his knee, so she could _really_ see his defined leg muscles. God, he was built. Athletic. Big. Toned. All the things you’d want an attractive physical specimen to be, really. And as always, he was already looking back at her. She should just assume it now. It was customary. It was like he looked at absolutely nothing else in the entire world but her and—

**_BAM!_ **

She blacked out momentarily. When she came to, she heard a shrill “Did I fucking kill her?!” shriek above her. When she opened her eyes, she was looking into the eyes of Kasperi Kapanen. Exposed pipes behind him. She was on the floor. Kasperi was above her with the most worried look she’d ever seen on someone’s face. “Aberdeen?!” he asked when he noticed she opened her eyes.

“Kasperi,” she said his name plainly. His God-awful hair was falling around his face. 

Before he could respond, he was moved, literally physically _moved_ – picked up and placed _somewhere else_ – by William, who took his spot. “Aberdeen, are you okay?” he demanded.

“Did I get hit with the soccer ball?” she asked, finally regaining most of her senses. 

“Kappy kicked it into your face,” Morgan’s voice informed her from beside her. “Need some help getting up?” he offered his hand.

Brendan. She had to get to Brendan. “I need to get to Brendan,” she said, trying to wave him off.

“Aberdeen, your face is all red,” William said. “I don’t think you should—”

“Let me go to the washroom and I’ll be fine,” she said.

“Aberdeen, I am so fucking sorry—” Kasperi began

“It’s _fine_ ,” she stressed, grabbing one of Morgan’s hands to pull herself up. William offered his other hand and she grabbed that too, regaining her balance as she got up. Neither Morgan nor William let go until they could tell she’d be able to stand without problems. “I played soccer in high school – it’s not like this is the first time,” she said. She looked around at the floor near her, panicking slightly. “Where are those papers I had?”

“Right here,” Andreas handed them to her, looking at her worriedly. She thanked him before taking them from him and making her way towards the washroom, the team just watching her as she walked away. 

She looked at her face in the mirror, recognizing early on that there was absolutely no way she was going to stop the redness from happening. She just got hit in the face with a soccer ball – she wasn’t going to look like a movie star. And there was no way she was going to splash water on her face before going to see Brendan and Kyle. This would _only_ happen to her. She sighed, settling to just wash her hands instead. 

When she finished and moved to grab some paper towel from the dispenser, she heard voices from the other side of the door. When she stopped wiping her hands, she tried to be as quiet as possible. “I could fucking kill you right now. Seriously,” she heard William’s voice, obviously still upset.

“She wasn’t behind the barricade! She was in the free for all zone!” Kasperi responded, trying to defend himself. 

“That doesn’t fucking matter! Did you have to kick it that hard?”

“I had to save the ball.”

“Oh, give me a fucking break.”

“Listen – _you_ weren’t going for it because you were making eyes at her like you always do, and _she_ was too busy staring at you to notice it coming.”

“Fuck off Kappy. No I wasn’t.”

“You know I’m right.”

Aberdeen decided that she’d heard enough. She opened the door, startling them slightly as she stepped out of the washroom. She, of course, pretended she hadn’t heard a thing – there was no way she was going to address what they said to each other. “I need to get to Brendan,” she told them.

“Aberdeen, I’m so sorry,” Kasperi apologized again.

“Kasperi, it’s honestly fine,” she said, looking briefly at Will. He still had a worried look on his face, probably because he was thinking about how red her face would get in a few minutes. “I’ll see you guys after the game.”

She left them standing there together as she power-walked to the media gondola, knowing she was already late. When the security let her by, he looked at her weird, signalling to her that her face had gone red. She tried not to think much of it. 

“Hi Mr. Shanahan. Sorry I’m a bit late,” she said as she opened the door and sat in her usual seat.

Brendan took a quick glance at her, but then did a double-take and spun around dramatically in his chair when he noticed her red face. “Oh God, did the boys hit you with the soccer ball?” he asked.

“Y—Yes sir.”

He shook his head, but couldn’t help but laugh. She looked like a tomato, and she recognized it probably looked hilarious. It diffused some of the awkwardness Aberdeen felt. “I’ll have Mike make them run extra drills tomorrow.”

***

William listened to Mike Babcock’s post-game speech passingly. They had won the game, and he had been able to focus solely on hockey when he was playing, but now that it was over, he had more pertinent issues on his mind. The first, of course, as it always was, was Aberdeen. He wondered what her face looked like now that a few hours had passed since she was hit with the soccer ball. The second still had to do with her, but he had to ask Mike to find out.

When he was finished his speech and everyone dispersed, William took the initiative to approach him. “Can we talk for a quick second?” he asked.

“About what? I’ve got media to do,” Mike said as he took a sip of water.

“Did you tell Brendan what happened?”

“What happened?”

William wanted to roll his eyes but he knew better than to roll his eyes at his coach. “With Aberdeen,” he clarified. He told Mike about the incident with Ethan before the game in hopes that he’d mention it to Brendan, who would discipline him. 

It was Mike who rolled his eyes at William. “William, you shouldn’t be sticking your nose into the administrative side. You’re a hockey player.”

“But—”

“But what happens with the people in the office is no concern of yours,” he dismissed him quickly, taking another sip from his water bottle as he turned and walked away. 

William felt like punching a wall. 

***

When William finally emerged from the locker room, he saw a red-faced Aberdeen waiting against the wall. He knew it was from the soccer ball, but the look on her face was anything but happy. And she was glaring directly at _him_. He gravitated towards her naturally to check up on her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Do you think it’s funny? Calling me a little shit?”

William’s eyes bulged dramatically. “What?! I didn’t – I never – no! Who told you that?!”

“I Google translated that Swedish term you used when you picked up the bag while I was in the box with Brendan.”

“No no no – you translated it wrong – I never – I would _never_ – not even jokingly—”

“You’ve got some nerve, Will.”

“WILLIAM! MOVE YOUR ASS!” Kasperi was calling from the bottom of the stairs. 

“It’s _min skatt._ M-i-n-s-k-a-t-t,” he spelled it out quickly for her. 

“WILLIAM!!!!!”

William gave Aberdeen one more frenzied look before he hurried down the stairs, not wanting to upset Kasperi even more. 

Aberdeen huffed at his exit, shaking her head before leaving the opposite way of Kasperi and Will. She pushed the door open and walked out onto the streets, the brisk night air filling her lungs as she walked home. She thought about the events of the day and couldn’t believe they all happened within, like, ten hours. It was a disaster. Her life, at this point, though she had a job, was a complete disaster. 

Kasha was still up when she got home, lying on the couch with her laptop. “How was your day?” she asked. When she got a good look at Aberdeen, her face contorted. “Oh my God, what happened to your face?”

Aberdeen shook her head. “I just need to go to bed. We’re leaving early for Montreal tomorrow.”

Kasha nodded understandingly, leaving Aberdeen to do her nighttime routine. When Aberdeen grabbed Minerva and tucked herself into bed, she plugged in her phone and made sure to set her alarm. She tried to fall asleep, since she was so tired, but her mind was running a mile a minute, replaying all the events of the day.

Plus, there was one thing still on her mind. 

She grabbed her phone, the brightness of her screen hurting her eyes as she typed the address for Google Translate. She switched the languages. She typed in the letters Will spelled out for her. 

Min skatt _translates to_ my treasure

Her cheeks flushed red. Her heart grew a hundred times over. She smiled to herself and pushed her face into her pillow, embarrassed for some reason. She looked at the translation again. 

She swooned.


	7. Chapter 6

**October 31 st, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was dressing up.

Her hair, long and wavy and a bit frizzy on its own (thanks dad) was now teased, crimped, and made _purposely_ frizzy. She outfitted herself in a blazer embroidered with poppies, leaves, and other floral insignia, a pair of 1970s style black pants, and a ridiculously ruffled shirt. She looked over at Kasha, whose own hair was curled and crimped then teased, a pair of skin tight light wash jeans, a plain tank top, and a Japanese cherry blossom-printed kimono-style cardigan left loose but tied around her waist.

They were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. And they were going to the Leafs’ Halloween party willingly dressed like this.

The purchase of the exact replica blazer embroidered with the poppies was probably one of the most ludicrous purchases Aberdeen had made in her life, but she now had a Halloween costume for life. It wasn’t exactly her parents’ proudest moment, but they made explicitly clear growing up that any money she made was _her_ money and she was free to do with it whatever she wanted. Did that mean buy an exact replica Jimmy Page blazer? Probably not. But Aberdeen didn’t hear it that way. All she had to do for the rest of her life was find a friend or partner (or three friends or partners) to be the rest of the band. That proved harder than she thought. 

“I can’t believe you’re bringing me to a party with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Kasha said as she layered some mascara onto her lashes in front of the full-length mirror in her room. 

“I can’t believe you _agreed_ ,” Aberdeen said, applying her own mascara as she sat on the floor in front of the same mirror. 

“Hey, I only agreed for an hour,” Kasha reminded her. “Then Evan’s picking me up and we’re going to his friend’s house party.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to think about the fact that Kasha would have to leave her alone with the Leafs after only an hour. She should be thankful that Kasha was coming in the first place. “What does Evan think of your costume?”

Kasha chuckled slightly. “He dressed up as John Bonham. Fake moustache and everything.”

Aberdeen swooned. “That boy is in love with you,” she said. Kasha stayed silent. “But why doesn’t anybody ever want to be John Paul Jones?”

“Oh, one of his friends is being John Paul Jones.”

Aberdeen almost poked her eye out with her mascara wand. “Okay, can I come to your party instead? You guys _obviously_ need a guitarist.”

“Um, _no_. It’s not every day that someone gets invited to a Leafs party,” Kasha said, a devilish look on her face. “Besides, I bet Will is looking forward to seeing you.”

Now Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Stop.”

“No way. Do you know what he’s dressing up as?”

“No idea.”

“Maybe _he’ll_ dress up as John Paul Jones. He’s definitely got the hair for it.”

Aberdeen laughed. “I don’t think he even knows who Led Zeppelin is.”

“ _I_ barely know who Led Zeppelin is,” Kasha quipped, making Aberdeen laugh. “The only reason I know is because of you and your dad.”

“And thank God for that.”

***

“Aberdeen! You made it!” Travis Dermott greeted her at the door dressed up in a unicorn onesie. He didn’t move to hug her but he gave her a very obvious up-down to take in her costume. “Are you supposed to be the seventies?” he asked.

“Jimmy Page,” she pointed at herself, then moved to point to Kasha, “and Robert Plant. From Led Zeppelin.”

“Well, rock on baby,” he smiled. “And this is…?”

“This is Kasha, my roommate. Kasha, this is Travis Dermott.”

He led them further inside the venue, The Burroughes, before introducing them to his girlfriend, Kat, dressed in a matching unicorn onesie. Zach Hyman came up to them as well, introducing his wife Alannah. They were dressed up as characters from _Stranger Things_ , which Kasha got a kick out of. Morgan and Bee came to say hi too – Bee was dressed up like Bruce Springsteen, and Morgan as Courtney Cox from the ‘Dancing in the Dark’ music video. Aberdeen got a kick out of that. 

“Where’s Jason?” she asked Morgan as he led them to the bar, looking around for him. He was the one who invited her to be here, after all. She thought he’d be running up to her to say hello.

“Jason’s trick-or-treating with his kids. Where else would he be?”

Her face dropped. That little bastard. He invited her to the Halloween party and then didn’t even bother to show up. She thought for sure he’d take delight in watching her squirm the whole night and interact awkwardly with the team. “Oh, that’s nice. He was the one who invited me.”

Morgan smiled. “He was the _messenger_ ,” he said, almost underneath his breath. She saw Bee try to discreetly elbow him.

“What does that mean?”

“What are you ladies having to drink?” Bee asked, changing the subject completely. “Everything’s on the house.”

Aberdeen ordered a gin and tonic while Kasha ordered a Tom Collins. A few more of the guys and their girlfriends came up to say hi, confused by their costumes until she explained them. Their costumes were much cuter, much more couple-y, like Alex Kerfoot and his girlfriend, who dressed up as Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat, or Mitch Marner and his girlfriend Steph, who dressed up as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. Even Nic Petan and Frederick Gauthier dressed up as Holmes and Watson. Bee soon started chatting up with Kasha, which left Aberdeen sipping on her drink and vulnerable to Auston Matthews seeing her approaching her.

“I must say, I think you’re the only person in the world who would get invited to the Leafs’ Halloween party and not dress up in something provocative,” Auston said, a drink already in his hand.

She knew Auston was _Auston_ , but she still rolled her eyes. “I _work_ with you people. We have to see each other tomorrow.”

“And you’re not trying to impress anybody?”

“ _No_!” It was the most ridiculous notion in the world. Most of them were married or in long-term relationships. Plus, she was an employee. Did he not read the MLSE Employee Handbook? “In case you forgot I work for Brendan Shanahan. You know, the president?”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes playfully at her. “What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“I’m Jimmy Page,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It _should_ have been, since he was dressed up as Freddie Mercury. She assumed he would know his rock stars if he dressed up like Freddie Mercury. 

“Who’s that?”

“Led Zep—you know what, never mind,” she shook her head, trying not to laugh. “Maybe I should have dressed up like Justin Bieber. Then you’d know.”

“Is there something going on between you and Willy?” he asked suddenly. 

Aberdeen practically spit out her drink. Was he already drunk? “No,” she said firmly. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Auston shrugged his shoulders. “He’s always just kinda looking at you. And when Kappy hit you in the face with the soccer ball…he was so red afterwards from being so angry I thought he was gonna murder Kappy.”

Aberdeen got defensive. She couldn’t help it. “Well, there’s nothing going on. I don’t know why you would even _think_ that.”

“I think he’s got the hots for you,” he tried to provoke her. 

“Oh, shut it, Auston,” she said. “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me. I’m just trying to do my job here. What Willy does or does not feel is none of my business.”

As if on cue, William appeared behind Auston, dressed as Batman. So stereotypical. She wondered who was his Robin. For a brief second, she wondered if he brought a girl. “What’s none of your business?” he asked, throwing an arm around Auston but looking directly at her.

“What Kyle Dubas’s coffee order is,” Aberdeen thought on her feet, answering quickly. “He’s got Peter for that. Although I think he’s partial to a latte.”

She could see William giving her an up-down and briefly got self-conscious. “Are you a rock star or something?”

“Jimmy Page.”

“Who’s that?”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes as Auston laughed out loud, turning to walk away to find someone better to talk to. She felt a rush of blood flood her cheeks as William continued to look at her. Kasha was still talking with Bee, and she wished to God either one of them would pull her into their conversation. But they didn’t. So she was stuck with William. “Who’s your Robin?”

“Would have liked it to be you, but it’s Rasmus,” he said. It made her head spin. “Who’s your…I don’t know, partner?”

“Kasha, my roommate,” she pointed quickly to her. “She’s Robert Plant. The lead singer.”

“You got my texts that day, right?” he asked, changing the subject quickly like Auston had.

She gulped. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Did I have to?” she asked.

William shrugged his shoulders. “Would have been nice.”

“How’d you even get my number?” she asked.

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” He looked down at her drink. “Cucumber mule?”

“Gin and tonic.”

“Ah, that’s right,” he smiled. “You’re more of a gin girl, right minskatt?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest at those words. My treasure. _My treasure_. She’d told Kasha about it and Kasha almost teared up. “Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t call you that?”

“At least not here. Not in front of everybody.”

“So I can call you that when we’re alone?” he countered.

He was really dead set on making her heart fluttered out of her chest. “When are we ever alone?” she asked, looking around the room at the team that surrounded them.

“We can find time,” he said. “At least I will.”

“Aberdeeeeeeeeen!” she _finally_ heard Kasha’s voice call out her name, tugging on the elbow of her blazer. “Aberdeen, you have to see how cute Bee’s cat Bruce is! Oh my God, he and Minerva can be best friends!” When Kasha noticed Aberdeen wasn’t moving, too busy staring at William still, she looked at him. He looked just as she remembered him from that night in June. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A total dreamboat. A total hottie. What she _should_ have done is pat Aberdeen on the back for landing him. “Hi, I’m Kasha,” she extended her hand to shake his. “I’m Aberdeen’s roommate and best friend.”

“Nice to meet you Kasha,” he shook her hand, taking his eyes off Aberdeen momentarily. “So, roommates, huh?”

“Mhm,” Kasha looked at him knowingly. 

“Here’s Bruce!” Bee intervened, bringing her phone up to Aberdeen’s face. “Kasha tells me you have a grey ragdoll? That is _adorable_.”

***

Kasha was too good a girl to break her promise to Evan, so over an hour into the party, she told Aberdeen he was here and she had to leave. They had spent the first half of their time talking to William, who wouldn’t leave Aberdeen’s side, and the second half talking to Bee, Aryne, and Alannah. But even when it was just the girls laughing and giggling, ordering drink after drink, whenever Aberdeen’s eyes left any of the women’s, she found William somewhere in the room staring at her. 

As Kasha hugged Aberdeen goodbye, Kasha held her in place to whisper in her ear. “Okay, but listen. He’s _so_ sweet. And he said he wants you, Aberdeen.” When she pulled away, her eyes flashed and she nodded slightly, signalling that William was probably coming back.

“Kasha, don’t leave.”

“Evan’s waiting.”

“Kasha, if he’s coming, _please_ don’t leave.”

“Leaving so soon?” Aberdeen heard William’s voice asked as he saw the two girls hugging. 

“My boyfriend is here to pick me up. I’m going to another party,” she informed him.

“Boyfriend? Auston’s gonna be heartbroken,” he smiled as he hugged her goodbye.

“Tell Auston there’s no way he’s getting near her,” Aberdeen said immediately, skeeving at the thought of Auston hooking up with Kasha. Kasha would never, but _still_. There was only one fuck up that was going to hook up with a Maple Leaf, and that was Aberdeen.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sometime soon,” William said to Kasha as they let go of their hug. Kasha raised her eyebrows at Aberdeen when she heard William’s words before turning on her heels and walking through the door. 

When Aberdeen turned around, she saw Kasperi and his girlfriend Saylor, dressed as what looked like the twins from _The Shining_ , approaching her and William. For a guy who apparently wanted alone time with her, tonight or otherwise, it looked like William wasn’t going to get it. “You must be Aberdeen,” Saylor said, smiling at her. “I’m Saylor.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Aberdeen shook her hand politely, but smiled awkwardly. 

Saylor grabbed her hand, leading her towards the bar. “We have _so_ much to talk about.”

“We do?”

“Did you know my boyfriend and Will used to be roommates? Oh my God, it was a disaster.”

Saylor liked to talk. Aberdeen didn’t know whether to chalk it up to the fact that she was a bit drunk or that she just had a lot of information and gossip to tell, but she did about 95% of the talking throughout their “conversation”. Aberdeen would nod her head and laugh along at the stories Saylor would tell, but at the end of the day, they were just stories Kasperi told her of when he and Will lived together when they were like, nineteen. She wasn’t around then, and so these were just second-hand accounts. 

It was 12:30 in the morning before Saylor stopped talking, and Aberdeen was finally able to realize she was tired and wanted to go home. Everybody was quick to take the group picture, and when they finished, she began saying goodbye to everybody. John and Aryne first, then Morgan and Bee, and then she saw that William was watching her give goodbye hugs and waves. 

He made a beeline towards her, like if he didn’t get to her quick enough, she would disappear into thin air. “Are you leaving?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m exhausted. Listening to Saylor took a lot out of me.”

“Can I walk you home?” William asked, his tone hinting on the side of desperate.

“Unnecessary.”

“Why not?”

“It’s only a twenty minute walk away,” Aberdeen explained.

“Are you joking? All the more reason,” he defied her.

“ _Will_.”

“It’s late at night, it’s dark, and there are drunk people everywhere from Halloween parties—”

“—William—”

“—Who knows if one of them will scare you or throw up on you or God knows what on the way home…I wouldn’t feel right knowing you’re out there walking alone and—”

“If I say yes will you shut up?”

William smiled. Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”

They left the The Burroughes rather inconspicuously, beginning their walk along Queen Street. If it was any other night, of course, they would have looked ridiculous – Robert Plant and Batman walking along the street together – but tonight nobody even gave them a second look. William kept looking over at her, though. The only pair of eyes on her. 

“So, you and Kasperi used to live together?” she asked, trying not to feel awkward with his eyes on her as they walked down the street. 

“Yeah,” William nodded his head. “He’s actually one of my best friends because of it.”

“Does he know?”

“No,” he answered automatically, shaking his head. “The only person that knows is my brother. I told you I wouldn’t tell anybody on the team. I don’t break my promises.” He was so soft spoken that Aberdeen felt bad for insinuating she wanted him to shut up not even five minutes ago. “Do any of _your_ friends know?”

“Well, Kasha knows. She _is_ my roommate,” she said, suddenly nervous. “And I told my sister Siena.”

“Are you guys close?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded. “Kasha’s one of my best friends but Siena is my sister _and_ my best friend. She’s the person I’m closest with in the whole world,” Aberdeen explained. “I know I can tell her anything. And I mean _anything_.”

“Sounds like me and my brother,” William smiled slightly. “He’s the person I trust most in the world.”

“Yeah. That’s Siena for me too.”

There was a moment of silence between them before William spoke up again. “I mean what I say, you know. I’m not going to tell a soul.”

“I believe you, Will,” she said, well, because she did. When she really thought about it, he gave her no reason to think otherwise. If he wanted to be vindictive, he would have told the entire team already, maybe even spoke to Brendan about it. But he didn’t. 

“Why do you call me Will?” he asked.

“That’s how you introduced yourself to me,” she said.

“But you hear everyone else calls me Willy.”

“So? You introduced yourself to me as Will.”

He smiled at her again. “I like it. I like it a lot.”

She blushed again. She wished they had taken the streetcar because she didn’t want keep blushing in front of him because of his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb one-liners that made her swoon and his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb smile that made her swoon even harder. “So your brother. What does he do?” she asked.

“He plays hockey too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he giggled. He thought she would have googled him by now. “He plays for Chicago.”

“That’s pretty cool. And then? I remember Kasperi mentioning in Newfoundland there’s three others or something?”

“There’s three girls after us,” he explained, loving that she remembered that from all the way back in September. “And my older half-sister before me. So it’s Michelle, me, Alex, Jacqueline, Stephanie, and Daniella.”

“Oh my God, there’s _six_ of you?” she asked. William nodded. “God bless your parents,” she said, causing him to giggle again. 

There was another moment of silence. Aberdeen didn’t know if it was her or William that had slowed down the walking pace, but she noticed. She wasn’t going as fast as she usually did. God, it was probably him. He clearly wanted to spend time with her. He left his entire team to walk her home (in a Batman costume) and now he wanted to elongate the experience as much as possible, regardless of how ridiculous they looked. He wanted to spend time with her. He found time and got her alone, like he said he would.

“Has Ethan done anything else I should yell at him for?” William suddenly asked, taking Aberdeen away from her thoughts. 

“No no, don’t worry about it,” she said, shaking her head. He’d made some comments here and there, but again, she wasn’t going to let William know about it. The most annoying was that he kept referring to her as Girl Friday instead of her name.

“I told Mike about it, thinking that he’d say something to Brendan,” he explained. “He decided not to. But I can go to him if you want.”

“It’s fine Will, don’t worry,” she continued to shake her head. The absolute _last_ thing she wanted to do was cause a ruckus with an established member of staff. “I know I’m like, the rookie around the office, and he’s just trying to test me. I get it.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Will said strongly. “He still shouldn’t be doing that. Rookie or not.”

Aberdeen bit her lip. Clearly Will had a protective side that she hadn’t seen yet, and was only getting a small glimpse of now. “Did you get hazed when you joined the team?” she asked. 

“If you count paying for an entire team’s meals and bar tab, then yeah. But that’s the extent of it nowadays. Harmless stuff,” he said. “Anything worse is just bullshit. Plus the media would pick up on it and it would become a shitshow.”

“Brendan tells me the media in Toronto is ridiculous,” she said. 

“They are.”

He didn’t say anything else. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe something had happened to him in the past and that’s why he didn’t like them. She didn’t really read about what they said about the team – she left that to Brendan. When she got home from work, she didn’t really want to think about work. She never googled articles about the team or anything like that. She wanted to keep that portion of her life separate from the one she lived outside of work. 

She changed the subject, bringing it back to hockey and playing with Alex as they continued their walk home. He was much more upbeat talking about his close relationships with his siblings, particularly Alex. The endearing smile on his face couldn’t be missed – he clearly loved his family. When she spoke about Siena and Camden, there was a similar endearing smile on her face, too – one that William wished would never fade. He heard about the shenanigans she and Siena would get into as young kids, and she even recounted the day she went to the hospital to see Camden for the first time. She and Siena had to end up sharing a room so the baby could get his own. 

Sometimes, their hands would brush against each other’s, and William would feel a jolt of electricity surging through his body. 

They stopped outside her condo building. His smile was still on his face, as was hers. Their walk was nice. Their talk was _really_ nice. Aberdeen held her breath. She didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. She looked him in the eye, and suddenly, her word vomit got the best of her. “You don’t regret that night, do you?” she asked before she even thought about what she was saying, or its implications.

“ _God no_ ,” William said in less than a millisecond. The notion was absurd to him. “No. Never. Why would you even ask that, minskatt?”

She couldn’t think for a moment because he said that name. _Again_. “I don’t know…I just…”

He purposely reached forward slightly to brush his fingers against hers, like he was going to hold her hand. He could hear the breath hitch in her throat. “Don’t ever think that again,” he told her. 

Aberdeen didn’t say anything. She _couldn’t_ say anything. All she could do was look into his eyes. She was doing that a lot lately, apparently.

Then he moved closer.

And closer.

And looked down at her lips.

And licked his.

And then he leaned forward. 

“Will…” she whispered, moving back slightly. He looked her in the eye. “We can’t, Will.”

He bit his lip, sighing. “I’m sorry. I know. Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“You just…I can’t help myself sometimes when I’m around you,” he confessed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Aberdeen could only handle so much of William making her heart flutter in one night. She felt like she was going to develop heart palpitations if she stayed any longer. “I’m gonna go upstairs.”

“Aberdeen…” he said longingly. 

“Goodnight,” she said, turning away from him.

“Aberdeeeeeeen…”

“Goodnight Willy,” she said as she looked at him over her shoulder, walking into her condo building. 

William stood outside, watching until she disappeared down the hallway towards the elevators. He brought his fingers up to his lips, rubbing them gently as he chuckled to himself, turning on his heels as he walked down the street. 


	8. Chapter 7

**Saturday November 9 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was nervous. 

Halloween night has been…interesting, to say the least. After Will had walked her home and tried to kiss her, she’d gotten into the elevator and started a quick, mad scramble of flailing arms and limbs about what had just transpired. She couldn’t believe it – how he tried to kiss her and she flat-out denied him – when every single fibre of her being wanted to kiss him back. But she knew she couldn’t, for her own sake and for Will’s sake, too. There was no way she would jeopardize her job like that, and there was no way she would jeopardize Will’s good standing with the club, particularly Brendan, who was fond of him. It was an internal fight she needed to win; reason needed to triumph over passion. 

When she got back into her condo, she took off her costume, washed all her makeup off, and brushed her hair through. When she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror – _really_ looked at herself. To try to see what Will apparently saw. The long, brown, wavy but frizzy hair; the thick eyebrows; the Greek nose; the pink lips with their cupid’s bow. She was pretty, somewhat, though she knew beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Not as pretty as Siena though, who inherited much of their father’s elegant Persian characteristics, so much so many people didn’t believe they were sisters; and not as striking as her brother, who was a perfect mishmash of Mizra’s Persian and Orla’s Scottish, with his olive skin and blue eyes. She wondered what Will saw in her to make him say _“I want you”_ ; what he saw to make him call her minskatt, his treasure, when she didn’t really believe so. 

Her first text to him was that night. _text me when you’re home safe please_

A few minutes later, she received what she wanted. _im home minskatt_

Every time he called her that she couldn’t help but swoon.

But the show had to go on, and Aberdeen still had a job to do, despite what happened on Halloween and despite all her swooning. She still needed to be Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant. She still had to travel with the team when needed. She still needed to share charter flights with them, stay at the same hotels, and show up at the same continental breakfast areas. She still couldn’t let anybody know anything had happened between her and Will. And when she was on the job, running around and fetching coffee and Prada shoes and Gucci suits and organizing meetings and accompanying other teams’ general managers and presidents to Brendan’s office, while simultaneously trying to shield comments from Ethan, she was too busy for her mind to be constantly preoccupied by Will. But the second she saw him, in work out gear or a suit or in his jersey, she was done for. She tried not to let it show.

Though every part of her wanted to kiss him back that night, at the same time, she didn’t want him to get too close. Halloween had her feelings had bubbled to the surface. That wasn’t the problem, because she could suppress them, especially on the job. The problem was Will. He apparently couldn’t suppress them like she could, especially on the job. He started to flirt. Openly. Not in front of Brendan or anyone else in the office, but definitely in front of the team. And _definitely_ more when they were alone. She knew it was part of his personality, to be an open flirt, but he’d started asking her how he looked in his suits walking into the arena. 

So she’d have to come up with retorts. 

Saturday, November 2nd, against the Flyers, he’d asked, “How do I look?” when he walked in with a perfectly tailored grey suit.

He looked fantastic. But nobody could know she thought so. “You look like you can save me 15% or more on car insurance,” she responded. His lightning fast wink wasn’t caught by anyone or any camera.

On Tuesday November 5th against the Kings, he’d asked, “What do you think?” as he walked in wearing a black suit that made his blonde hair stand out.

“You look like a honey glazed ham,” she responded. Jason, who was walking with him, spit out his water all over his suit.

On Thursday, November 7th against the Golden Knights, he’d walked into the arena with the most ridiculous ensemble she’d ever see a person wear in her entire life, and she went to school in downtown Toronto. He had a Sugo hat – from the great Italian restaurant on Bloor – secure on his head. Stubble. A more prominent moustache. Vintage eyeglasses on. A blue, yellow, and black throwback Reebok tracksuit jacket on, unzipped slightly to let his chest breath and just enough to show off his chains. Matching trackpants. Best of all, a pair of the most absurd looking Leafs Uggs. They were alone at that point – he was one of the first players in for the morning skate, and even arrived before the media – and she audibly scoffed when she saw him. “How do I look?” he asked, smiling. 

She knew that _he_ knew he looked completely ridiculous. She could do nothing but shake her head. “I don’t even have the words.”

“Find them,” he practically begged. That’s when she knew this would become _a thing_ between them.

“Honestly? You look like my father when I see pictures of him living in pre-revolution Iran. Except blonde. And more facial hair.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked.

“My dad’s awesome, so take it as a compliment. But fourteen year old teenagers don’t exactly have the best fashion sense.”

“Maybe I’ll get to meet him and see that picture one day,” he quipped.

“No chance, William Nylander.”

Tonight, on a Saturday Hockey Night in Canada, the Leafs were facing the Flyers again, the second time in a week, back to back Saturdays. This time, however, the Leafs were at least at home, though everyone had to get on a flight after the game to head to Chicago for a game tomorrow. Busy as usual, she walked into the staff kitchen to warm up the snack wrap she’d bought to get her through the day. When she walked in, she saw Ethan making a tea. 

“Hello,” she greeted him, trying to be polite to him though he had never really been polite to her. 

“Hey Girl Friday,” he said. He wasn’t even looking at her, so she had an opportunity to roll her eyes. “What brings you into the kitchen? Shouldn’t you be fetching coffee?”

“I’m heating up a snack wrap,” she said, walking over to the microwave and popping it in for a minute. 

“Should you really be eating that?”

Aberdeen’s back stiffened. “Why _shouldn’t_ I?”

“Do you really need it?” he said, finally looking at her after he finished making his tea. “Nobody likes a piggy working for a hockey team with some of the most in-shape guys in the league.”

She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Her jaw dropped open as she couldn’t find the words to respond to him. “W…What?” was all she could muster out pathetically. 

“Seriously Girl Friday, do I really have to spell it out for you?” he asked. “Your clothes might be stylish but I can see right through you,” he said, leaving her hanging as he walked out the door. 

Aberdeen couldn’t believe what had just happened. The words that Ethan just said. Commenting on her snack and the fact she was eating. She couldn’t believe he had the gall. He’d used the word _piggy_. _PIGGY_! What man in their right might would say something like that to another human being, let alone a woman? She looked down at her body, covered by a black cable-knit sweater and skinny black plaid pants. Did…did she really…

_No_.

Ethan Baker was just being a colossal fucking asshole. 

Instead of getting low on herself, she got angry. She had been nothing but nice to him, and had succumbed to his stupid hazing and initiation, and he still treated her like shit. What else did he want from her? Why was he so incessant on making her life a living hell?

As the microwaved beeped to signal it was done, Aberdeen felt a buzz from her phone in her pocket. It was, of course, from Brendan. _Please go meet Cliff Fletcher at the entrance and bring him to my office._

She left her snack wrap in the microwave, taking the elevator down to the main floor and walking towards the entrance. On cue, Cliff was getting out of a black SUV. She opened the door for him. “Hi Mr. Fletcher,” she said. She tried her best to conceal the anger and annoyance in her voice, but she could hear it. She wondered if he could. “How are you?”

“I’m great, Miss Bloom. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” she said as they walked towards the elevator together. She pushed the button and waited for the light. 

“Excited about the game tonight?” he asked.

“Sure,” she shrugged her shoulders. The elevator pinged and the doors opened. They got on and the doors closed, with Aberdeen pushing the floor button. “Hope that we don’t have to play Philadelphia for a while after this.”

“Why not?”

“The jerseys. They’re awful. Their home jerseys at least are awful. That hideous orange,” she made a face, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “Imagine having to wear that all the time? Who’d want to be general manager?”

“My son, actually,” Cliff said, chuckling slightly. 

Aberdeen’s face dropped. _Oh, shit_. Here we go again.Aberdeen just had to go and open her big mouth again. She just had to let her emotions get the best of her; had to let _Ethan Baker_ get the best of her. “Are you for real?”

“I am _for real_ ,” Cliff mimicked her, smiling. “My my, Miss Bloom. You’re really keen on speaking your mind.”

“Mr. Fletcher, I’m sorry—” she said as the elevator door opened. 

“That’s quite alright, Miss Bloom,” Cliff waved her off as they stepped off the elevator together. “It’s quite refreshing to hear your take on hockey jerseys, but if I can give you a word of advice, be careful about who you speak your mind to. You never know when their son could be a general manager of the team with the hideous jersey,” he winked. “Or, conversely, if that general manager’s father used to be in charge of the Maple Leafs.”

“Mr. Fletcher—”

“I’ll see myself to Brendan’s office,” he said, making her stop dead in the tracks. “I’ll see you during the game, Miss Bloom. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you in the box and hearing more of your thoughts.”

***

“Aberdeen, can you come in here for a minute?” Aberdeen heard Brendan call out as she sat at her desk outside his office, busy entering some new appointments and meetings into his Google calendar. She stood up from her seat and walked into his office. He was standing near one of the windows, moving eventually to lean against the frame. 

“Yes sir?”

“I just had an absolutely wonderful discussion with Cliff,” he began. It was a normal start, but Aberdeen noticed that he hadn’t corrected her like he usually did when she called him sir. That automatically made her nervous. “We talked about his time here, we talked about how the kids were doing, his son who is somewhere in this building…and then we talked about you.”

Aberdeen gulped. He was going to absolutely annihilate her, just like he’d previously done. “Mr. Shanahan—”

“Do you know why I hired you?” he asked, interrupting her. “I always hire the same sort of person. Male, workaholic, of course…worships the team. But so often, they turn out to be – I don’t know – disappointing and, well…stupid,” he began. “So you, with that impressive resume and the big speech about your intelligence and your so-called work ethic…I – well, I thought you would be different. I said to myself: go ahead. Take a chance. Hire the smart girl who knows nothing about hockey. Hire the girl with immigrant parents who grew up in an old bungalow in Etobicoke,” he used her own words from that disastrous interview. “I had hope. My God, I love on it. Anyway, sometimes you end up disappointing me more than…more than any of the other silly boys.”

She bit her lip. She didn’t even care that her eyes were watering and he could see that she was about to cry in his office. “I really didn’t mean t—”

“That’s all,” he dismissed her coldly.

Aberdeen turned and walked out of the room. She didn’t even bother going back to her desk. She didn’t want him to hear her cry. But instead of going to the staff kitchen, instead of going to the women’s bathroom or outside or just _anywhere_ else that wasn’t the office, she found herself walking directly towards Kyle Dubas’s office. He wasn’t her therapist. He was barely her friend – hell, barely her acquaintance. But for some reason, she gravitated towards his office because she knew, at some level, he would listen. 

Kyle watched as she walked in to his office, and he could automatically see the redness of her eyes. He didn’t put his pen down or close his laptop. “Everything alright, Aberdeen?”

“He hates me, Kyle.”

“Who?”

“Brendan. I don’t know what else I can do because if I do something right, it’s unacknowledged. He barely says thank you. But if I do something wrong, he is… _vicious_.”

He knew what he had to do here. He knew his role. “So quit.”

Aberdeen looked at Kyle, furrowing her brows at his words. So simple yet so direct. “What?”

“Quit.”

“Quit?”

“I can get another person to take your job in five minutes. One who really _wants_ it,” he said with such confidence it made her worried.

“No! I don’t want to quit! That’s not fair!” she raised her voice. The notion, to her, was completely ridiculous. “But…I…you know, I’m just saying that I would like a little credit for the fact that I’m killing myself trying.”

“Aberdeen, be serious. You are not trying. You are _whining_ ,” Kyle deadpanned. She stared at him, surprised that for such a soft-spoken and articulate guy, he was laying down the law. “What is it that you want me to say? _‘Poor you. Brendan’s picking on you. Poor you’_? Wake up, Aberdeen. He’s just doing his job,” he said harshly. “Don’t you know that you are working at the place that housed some of the greatest and influential athletes of the century? Bower. Clancy. Sundin. And what they did, what they created in this city, was greater than the sport, because you looked up to them,” he said. He stopped momentarily. “Well, not you, obviously, but most people,” he fixed his mistake. “You think this is just a company, hmm? Just a hockey team? This is not just a hockey team. This is a shining beacon of light for…oh, I don’t know, let’s say a young boy growing up in Sault Ste. Marie who couldn’t continue playing hockey because of concussions but worked his way through the offices until someone like Brendan had faith in him and gave him a chance. You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls. And what’s worse, you don’t care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work you only deign to work. And you want to know why he doesn’t kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up, sweetheart.”

He was right. God, she knew he was 100% right. He was wrong about nothing. And for him to be so open with her – she knew he was referring to himself when he spoke about the young boy growing up in Sault Ste. Marie. She was being a complete suck. “Okay, so maybe I’m screwing it up,” she acknowledged. Kyle cocked his head to the side in agreement. “But I don’t want to. I just wish I knew what I could do.”

“Well, for one, you need to walk into this building everyday knowing and understanding the history of this hockey club beyond just the surface level and what Brendan tells you. But you already know what to do, Aberdeen,” Kyle said confidently. “You just need to find it within yourself and do it.”

***

Aberdeen didn’t know where her mind was for the rest of the night. Kyle told her she already knew what to do, and that she just had to do it, but she didn’t know what that was. At least not yet. It occupied her mind for the rest of the day, until the team started walking in and she greeted them all before they went into the locker room. 

When she saw Will, he was on his way up the stairs with Auston Matthews. Word had gotten around the locker room that she’d been saying these things – that she had a wicked sense of humour – and now everyone wanted to hear it for themselves. The game-time roast of William Nylander. She saw him wearing a tan wool coat. His face was red from the cold wind outside. “You like what you see?” he asked.

“You look like a Costco hot dog.”

Auston almost fell over. His shriek was so loud she closed her eyes from the noise. “Jesus Christ, Auston,” she pretended to plug her ears. 

“I always knew you had it in you, Aberdeen,” he said, shaking his head and wiping the tears that fell from his eyes from laughing so hard. 

“What’s _it_?” she asked.

“I don’t know. _It_ ,” he looked back at her before walking into the locker room with Will.

Now he was in on it too. She had _it_ inside her? What the hell were he and Kyle talking about? She didn’t think she was anything special, _especially_ in the world of hockey. 

***

Instead of winning in a shootout like last week in Philadelphia, the Leafs lost in a shootout at home. It was dumb, and she knew the players hated the shootout. Aberdeen and Brendan arrived at the locker room at the tail end of Mike Babcock giving them a stern talking to about something they did wrong during the game, and after he was done, the boys dispersed and began to take off their gear as they always did. She watched quietly as Will pulled his jersey over his head and began unstrapping his gear. 

Brendan was looking down at his phone when she looked at him next. He was furiously typing something. “Can you go pick up guests at the door, please?” he asked, not looking up from his phone. He was probably still mad at her for earlier. 

She nodded her head and began walking down the hallway, only for Will to show up beside her, his hockey socks still on. She figured he was being deliberately annoying, taunting her knowing that Brendan was in the same room and in close vicinity. “Get out of here,” she mumbled.

“ _You_ get out of here.”

She rolled her eyes, reaching for the door handle and opening it. She was greeted with a man and a woman. The man was tall and bald, already with a smile on his face, a grey polo shirt and slacks on; the woman had long blonde hair and striking blue eyes, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a Leafs jersey. “Hello,” she greeted them politely. “You’re here to see Mr. Shanahan?”

“Actually…” the man began, smiling at Will.

“Hi mama, hi papa,” Will said, smiling from ear to ear, leaning in to hug both parents.

Aberdeen’s face dropped. She took another look at the man and the woman. Of course. _Of course_ they were Will’s parents. He was a carbon copy of both of them; a perfect mix of his mother’s blue eyes and his dad’s smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Nylander! Hello!” she said, suddenly nervous. When they were finished hugging their son, she extended her hand. “I’m Aberdeen Bloom. I’m Mr. Shanahan’s executive assistant. It’s so nice to meet you!”

“Aberdeen?” Michael said, smiling slightly. “Det här är flickan som du berättade för oss?” he switched to Swedish as he looked at Will. [[ _This is the girl you told us about?_ ]]

“Ja.” _[[ Yes. ]]_

“Så hon var varför du var älskar sjuk hela sommaren?” Camilla asked her son. _[[ So she was why you were love sick all summer? ]]_

“Jag var inte älskar sjuk,” Will furrowed his brows slightly at whatever Camilla said. _[[ I wasn’t love sick. ]]_

“Säker,” Michael rolled his eyes. _[[ Sure. ]]_ He focused his attention on Aberdeen again. She’d been looking in between all of them speaking Swedish, trying to pick up on any semblance of word that sounded like English. “It’s very nice to meet you Aberdeen,” Michael smiled. “Will mentioned that Brendan had a new assistant.”

“There he is!” Aberdeen heard Brendan’s booming voice from down the hallway. She looked behind her to see him making his way towards them, a giant smile on his face. “Nice to see you guys! Come in, come in!”

“William was just introducing us to Aberdeen,” Camilla smiled, motioning to her.

“Ah yes, my new executive assistant,” Brendan smiled at her. She smiled nervously. “Come come, let’s take a walk. We need to catch up. How is Jacqueline?”

As Michael and Camilla followed Brendan down the corridor, completely ignoring their son and Aberdeen now, Aberdeen and Will were almost alone. She felt him grab at her elbow gently. “You don’t actually think I look like a Costco hot dog, do you?” he asked.

She snorted, biting her bottom lip to stop from letting out a laugh and having Brendan, Michael, and Camilla look back at them. “You really are no thoughts, head empty, aren’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have no thoughts going on in that little brain of yours,” she smiled.

“I think about one thing…two things,” he clarified.

“Hockey’s one,” she knew that already. “What’s the other one?”

“You.”

The revelation hit her like a tonne of bricks. He had to know by now that he couldn’t just _say_ stuff like that and expect her to have a normal reaction. “You just love to see me squirm, don’t you?” she asked.

“I just love to see _you_ , minskatt.”


	9. Chapter 8

**November 10 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was in her hotel room. 

The Leafs had lost to Chicago. Chicago scored four goals in the first period. It was a shitshow. And although the boys rallied back late in the third period, they just couldn’t get that fifth goal to send it into overtime and at least get a point. William scored two goals – en route to a hat trick – but didn’t get it. He did get third star of the game though. Aberdeen knew he was trying to impress his parents and show off in front of his brother.

The team was spending the night in Chicago before leaving late tomorrow for Long Island, meaning that Aberdeen had the day off and could actually go and explore. She’d never been, and she knew eight or ten hours was not nearly enough to really explore a city, but she thought about taking a city bus tour that hit all the major sites. Truthfully, she was learning more towards just spending the entire day at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was on her bucket list. 

After the stress of travelling and the back to back games, she was tired. She’d taken a long, hot shower before putting on her pajamas and slipping into the hotel bathrobe. With her hair wrapped in a towel, she ripped open a sheet mask and put it on, massaging it onto her face. She texted Kasha, who sent her some pictures and videos of Minerva sleeping on her bed, which calmed her down but also made her wish she was curled up with her cat. Eventually, Aberdeen lay upright in bed, trying to get some reading of _Women Talking_ by Miriam Toews done before she fell asleep.

But then there was a light knock at her door.

She was so tired and so annoyed and so engrossed in her book that she didn’t even bother to look through the peephole to see who it was. She forgot she was in her pajamas and bathrobe. She forgot she had an entire sheet mask on her face that made her look like Jason. She just opened the door, not thinking about anything.

Which made seeing William on the other side of the door all the more frightening. 

He had quite the amused look on his face. “Hey.”

She shut the door in his face. She turned around so her back was against the door, internally freaking out, looking around for a means of escape. She seriously contemplated jumping out the window. It was only eight floors – that didn’t mean _too_ many broken bones, right? She could…she could…

“Open the door, Aberdeen,” she could hear him from the other side, his voice low but loud enough that only she could hear. 

“No,” she said, having the wherewithal to finally rip the sheet mask off her face and shove it into the pocket of the robe. It was still wet, damn it. A sheet mask wasted. 

“Come on, Aberdeen.”

“What are you even _doing_ here?” she asked.

“Would you rather Brendan find me outside your hotel room or would you rather hide me in the shower where he wouldn’t see me?” William asked rhetorically. 

Aberdeen’s heart and her mind started racing, thinking that Brendan was on the way down to her room or down the hallway or something. She rushed to open the door and stuck her head out, looking down both ends of the hallway. William, for his part, slipped past her and into her room. “Is he here?!” she asked in a harsh whisper. 

“God no. Brendan’s asleep,” William said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s eleven at night, Aberdeen. The man needs his rest.”

She looked back at him practically sauntering into her hotel room and shut the door, locking it behind her for full effect. She crossed her arms to make herself appear angry. William still had an amused smile on his face. “I reiterate my question – what are you even doing here?”

“Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“Weren’t you going to dinner with your parents and Alex?”

“That’s done.”

“So, like, don’t you want to spend time with your parents?”

“They have an early morning flight to catch to Dallas to visit Jackie at SMU,” he said. “They went back to their hotel and went to bed.”

“And shouldn’t _you_ be doing the same thing?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Cause I wanted to see you, minskatt.”

A blush overcame her cheeks. “Will, this is really inappropriate,” she said, trying to mask it.

“Why?”

“You’re a hockey player in my hotel room,” she felt like she had to spell everything out for him. “If Brendan finds out he’d freak. If Kyle or Peter found out, _they’d_ freak. Hell, if your teammates found out—”

“Even if they did, they wouldn’t say anything,” William interrupted her.

She stopped dead in her tracks. _That_ was not plausible. Any single one of them would go to Brendan in a _second_ if she and Will were caught together like this. In her hotel room. At night. _Alone_. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“They wouldn’t. They know that I like you, so they wouldn’t.”

Aberdeen couldn’t respond with anything because she could think of anything to say. He flummoxed her constantly. He kept rendering her speechless and she didn’t know what to do about it – didn’t know if she _could_ do anything about it. She watched as he leaned against the TV stand, crossing his own arms over his chest. “I’m asking for a third time now – what are you doing here?”

“Was that a sheet mask you had on your face before?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

She gave him major side eye. “Moisturizing. The traveling is drying out my skin.”

Will let out a slight chuckle. He looked past her towards her bed, and she followed his eyes and looked behind her. “What book are you reading?”

Was he being serious right now? Had he seriously made his way into her room to ask her about sheet masks and books? Not like she’d do anything else with him. But _still_. “Women Talking by Miriam Toews.”

“Do women talk in it?”

She audibly scoffed. “It’s about sexual assault in a Mennonite community.”

Will’s face dropped. “Oh fuck.” 

Aberdeen couldn’t help but snort as she saw the look on his face. She tried to cover her mouth and her smile but the attempt was futile. He looked so embarrassed and it just brought her so much…well, _delight_. “God, Will,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back to grab the book. “You are something _else_.”

“You like to read, then?” he tried to recover the conversation.

“I have a major in English, Will. And I want to become a writer. You can’t become a writer if you don’t read. Well I mean, you _can_ , but you won’t be very good. And beyond that, I’ve made it my goal to read the shortlist of the Governor General Awards and the Giller Prize,” she said. She saw a slightly confused look on Will’s face. “They’re Canada’s highest literary awards. They’re like – well, not really, but you’re Swedish, so – it’s like being a Nobel Laureate, but obviously the Nobel is much more prestigious. I read them too.”

The smile that appeared on his face was so innocent and pure that she wanted to wipe it off his face. She couldn’t handle it. “I remember that you want to be a writer. You told me the first time we met,” he said. Aberdeen shivered. “So what are you doing here with the Leafs?”

“In my quest for any type of job, they were the only ones that called,” she informed him. “No newspapers or magazines came calling, so it was this or bank telling.”

He pushed himself off the TV console, making his way over to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. He looked over at her. “I think you’d make a great writer.”

“Thanks, but you haven’t read any of my writing.”

“Can I?”

“No.”

It was Will’s turn to snort. “Fair enough. Maybe I’ll get to read it one day.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said, smiling down at the book as she held it between her hands, being very careful not to lose the page. “How was dinner with your parents?” she pivoted, not wanting to talk about herself or her writing anymore. “I bet you miss them a lot.”

William shrugged his shoulders. “I’m kind of used to it. When I was a kid my dad would be gone a lot.”

Aberdeen thought the worst. “Why?”

William looked at her weirdly. “My dad was an NHL player, Aberdeen.” He saw the shock on her face and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Do you not, like, google these things?”

“Why would I google your dad? I thought he was just…I don’t know, your dad!” she tried to defend herself. 

“Well, he is just _my dad_ —”

“But he was an NHL player,” she said. “What team did he play for?”

“A bunch. He was a journeyman. Alex and I were actually born in Calgary, but then it was Tampa, Chicago, Washington, Boston, New York…then back to Washington,” William listed off the cities he’d lived in. “It was a lot of moving around. A lot of back and forth. A lot of missing dad.”

Aberdeen could never imagine moving around that much as a kid. She was very fortunate to have lived in the same house her entire life, however old and small it was. She knew William’s life growing up was probably very nice – much nicer than hers, in the sense that he had a lot more money with his dad being an NHL player and all – but all of that couldn’t make up for missing your dad because you couldn’t actually see your dad. The first time Aberdeen realized she actually _missed_ her parents was the grade nine orientation retreat her school ran, when she went to a camp in Muskoka for three days and two nights and got eaten alive by mosquitos. She couldn’t imagine that feeling happening over and over again. And not just over and over again…but throughout her entire childhood. “But Sweden is always home?” she asked, trying to brighten up the mood. 

“Always,” he replied automatically, resolute in his tone. “In the summers, when we’d be all together in Sweden, and it was just…you know, _family_ time…that was the best. Our house in Stockholm, or our house in the countryside…it was always amazing.”

Aberdeen smiled at him. He was so clearly fond of Sweden and fond of his family. If their Halloween talk didn’t secure it enough, this did. She wondered how much he missed his siblings on a regular basis; how geographically, they were so far away from each other, but in every other way they were so close. Much like she and Siena. She missed Siena every day.

“Hey Aberdeen?” Will’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“You haven’t kicked me out yet.”

She gave him a look. He started chuckling at her scrunched up face, still glowing with moisturizer. “Don’t push it.”

***

**November 13 th 2019**

Aberdeen felt both mentally and physically exhausted as the charter plane landed in Toronto just before midnight. The Leafs suffered another loss to the New York Islanders, John’s old team (who booed him every time he touched the puck, the savages), even though they battled back _again_ from a goal deficit. Will scored. John scored too. But it wasn’t enough. Now, the team was officially on a three game losing streak (okay, technically only two if you didn’t count the shootout loss against Philly). Aberdeen was just…tired. She had the day off tomorrow to prepare for the Major Donor Dinner that night, worked Friday, and then – surprisingly – a full weekend off, since Brendan wasn’t traveling to Pittsburgh. 

To says she was looking forward to it was an understatement. 

“Who’s driving Aberdeen home?” John asked out loud as he always did when they came back from road trips late at night. She didn’t know if he’d taken it upon himself as the team captain to spearhead the movement, but she didn’t oppose it anymore. If they wanted to be chivalrous, she wasn’t going to stop them. 

She usually rode into the city with Morgan, with Bee picking them up. Twice she’d gotten driven back into the city with Saylor and Kasperi. She was fully ready to hear Morgan’s voice pipe up like it always did – especially because Bee was always on time and already waiting for them by the time they landed. She even saw him about to say it, but he was cut off. “I’ve got it,” Will said immediately, not even looking at her. Morgan looked back at him, shrugging his shoulders. That was that. 

Aberdeen noticed he drove a Volvo – of course he would, the Swede. She put her carry-on in the trunk and slipped into the passenger seat, waving goodbye at Justin Holl who had parked beside Will and was already backing out of his space. Will slipped into the driver’s seat, starting the car. He looked over at her, the smallest smile on his face. “Hey.”

“Hello.”

“You tired?” he asked.

“I’m exhausted.”

“Good,” he said, backing out of the parking spot, making his way out and onto the street.

“Good?”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while,” he said, a smile on his face.

She side-eyed him. _What_ exactly did he think they were going to get up to in his car of all places? She was _wide awake_ now. “ _Why_?”

“You always have your headphones in on the bus or plane when Brendan doesn’t need you.”

“So?”

“So it’s obvious you like music, and I’ve curated a playlist for this exact moment,” he smiled, fiddling around with his phone. He really shouldn’t have been doing that, since he was driving and it was illegal to do so. Aberdeen looked as he swiped through Spotify quickly, obviously knowing exactly where he needed to go. 

“What moment is that?” she asked. 

“Driving through Toronto at night,” he said, stopping at the red light. She chuckled slightly to herself, leaning her head back on the headrest and looking out her window. Of all the guys on the team, only Will would do something like this. Bee never made any playlists for driving Morgan home in the middle of the night. Hell, Saylor didn’t either. She was more preoccupied with telling Kasperi the exact details of what she’d been up to while he was gone, or telling him where they were going to go for drinks and oysters after they dropped Aberdeen off. “You ready?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“If you put on Drake to drive through Toronto at night, Will, I swear to God…” she warned.

There was a dramatic pause. The opening notes of Drake’s ‘Passionfruit’ played. Aberdeen overexaggerated her scoff and disgusted face, and William’s infamous laugh was so loud it could be heard over the music. “God, William…” she chastised playfully.

“Oh come on! It’s a good song!” he tried to defend himself.

“It’s one of his better songs, sure. I’ll give you that,” she said. “But what a lousy start.”

Will’s jaw dropped. “Oh, really? You can think of something better?”

“I can think of a _million_ different songs that are better,” she quipped. She looked down at his phone sitting in the little cubby and went to grab it. She scrolled through the list, getting more and more disgusted by the songs and artists he’d added to the playlist. “Your taste in music is _awful_ ,” she scoffed again.

“HEY!”

“It’s true!”

“Okay Miss Superior Music Taste—”

“Okay, _first of all_ , if you’re going to choose a Toronto artist to start a ‘driving though Toronto at night’ playlist, it should be The Weeknd,” she began, typing his name into the screen and swiping to add ‘Starboy’ and ‘I Feel It Coming’ to the playlist. “Like, where is Tory Lanez? Where’s Daniel Caesar? And why is it all rappers? This is so stereotypical. You need better music.”

“It doesn’t just have to be people from Toronto,” he said, making a turn. “And it’s all rappers because I li—”

“Seriously, this is _awful_.”

“You’re really mean when you’re exhausted,” he quipped. 

“If it doesn’t have to be just full of people from Toronto then I’m hijacking this playlist and making it _good_ ,” she ignored his comment, already swiping her fingers all over his screen and typing in name after name. 

Will would glance over occasionally, trying to keep his eyes on the road but finding it hard. She looked so cute concentrating so hard as Passionfruit played in the background. He bit his lip, trying to remain composed. “God, you’re gutting that thing,” he said.

“That’s how bad it is.”

He shook his head playfully. “You better hurry up. Passionfruit’s almost over.” Aberdeen finished off, keeping his phone in her lap as she let Passionfruit end. “It better be good,” he said.

She shot him a playful glare. “It’s awesome, thank you very much.”

As ‘Passionfruit’ ended, ‘Bride’ by San Fermin came on. Aberdeen was immediately pulled into the sounds and beats, closing her eyes and let it wash over her. William, on the other hand, furrowed his brows. “What _is_ this?”

“San Fermin.”

“ _Who_?”

She shot him another glare – how many she’d shot him in this car ride alone, she couldn’t even say. “Can you just listen?”

William gave it about a minute before he began shaking his head again. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

“You’re weak.”

“Put on something good this time,” he said as she picked up the phone again. He switched lanes to get onto the onramp for the Gardiner Expressway. He saw Aberdeen scrolling through the playlist, finally picking a song. ‘Green Light’ by Lorde. “Lorde? Really?”

“Don’t you dare say a bad word about Lorde,” she warned. “She’s perfect. Her music is perfect.”

“You think so?”

“She wrote Pure Heroine at sixteen. _Sixteen!_ ” she exclaimed. “I would give my left arm to have written like that at sixteen. I was writing awful, pretentious poetry about stupid boys in my high school at sixteen. And she wrote that entire album!”

William laughed, her clear enthusiasm and love of Lorde shining through in her words. It was adorable. She was adorable. She was _many_ things, but right now, she was adorable. “Is she your favourite?” he asked.

“I have a lot of favourites,” Aberdeen admitted. “But yeah. She’s up there. Do you not listen to her?”

William shrugged his shoulders. “I know Royals. That was the big one, right? That’s basically it.”

“Well, you need to listen more.”

“Not the first time someone’s told me that,” he joked, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

Aberdeen bit her lip. She knew they were in the context of talking about music and her favourite artists, but that was a loaded sentence. When she and Brendan made their way to the locker room after the Islanders game, she could hear Mike Babcock’s voice from down the hallway. She’d watched and listened to some of his post-game interviews, and she wasn’t completely ignorant to the fact that he constantly, _constantly_ , backhand complimented William and his skills. It didn’t matter if William got an assist, got one goal, even two goals – it was like Mike couldn’t say a good word about Will without undermining him somehow. She remembered the season opener, when William told her _“I’m used to it”_ when she asked about it. She shifted uncomfortably in the passenger’s seat. “Will…”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, minskatt.”

She paused to try to collect herself. “What, like…I mean, I don’t mean to be nosey or whatever, or intrude…but what – I mean…like what kind of like—”

“Spit it out, Aberdeen.”

“What’s the issue between you and Mike Babcock?” she finally asked. 

Will looked over at her quickly, shocked that she’d asked the question. “Hell if I knew,” he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. That was a lie – he did know part of it. At least, he _thought_ he knew part of it. “I don’t…I…okay. Last year,” he began, “the 2018-2019 season. It was my contract negotiation year. I went unsigned throughout the summer because I was holding out for a specific number and a long-term deal instead of what we call a ‘bridge’, so like a two or three year deal. I…I didn’t want to be anywhere else but Toronto, no matter what anyone else said. I _still_ don’t want to be anywhere else but Toronto,” he explained. “And so, because of that holdout, I didn’t attend training camp. I didn’t play basically for the beginning half of the season. There…there was a lot of drama. A lot of rumours in the Toronto media – really nasty rumours, some of them. A bunch of talk about trading me. It produced this really…I don’t know, this really toxic, like, cloud surrounding me. A lot of people were angry about it. But I got my deal – I signed on December 1st, the last day legally possible to be able to play.”

Aberdeen thought back to what he told her about his dad. How much Will missed him as a kid growing up because Michael would be travelling for hockey. How much Michael was gone all the time. How every few years, the family would have to pack up and move to a completely different city, in a completely different part of the country, following Michael on his journeyman hockey career. _Of course_ William wanted a long term deal. It was no wonder. He didn’t want to experience what he had to experience growing up – being shuffled around the league – now as an adult. 

“The media did their job though,” he continued, breaking her train of thought. “They were relentless. Malicious. They turned a lot of people against me – a lot of fans who were influenced into thinking I was a spoiled Swedish brat. Overhyped, overpaid, waste of money. A plug. Getting in the way of hiring a good Canadian boy, forgetting the fact that I was born in Calgary,” he almost smiled to himself, shaking his head. “So…I don’t know. I guess Mike didn’t get over my holdout. Maybe he feels bitter about it. Maybe he thinks I’m selfish, that I shouldn’t have held out. Maybe he thinks I’m an overhyped, overpaid plug taking a spot from a good Canadian enforcer or something. But it’s all hypothetical. It’s all maybes. I can’t tell you why, exactly, he always says those things.”

Aberdeen didn’t know any of this. She didn’t know William held out on his contract. She didn’t know there was a portion of the city that hated just him specifically. She didn’t know about bridge deals, long term deals, and about him wanting to be in Toronto – nowhere else. She didn’t know any of it. And that’s when she finally realized: that was her exact problem. This was why she kept making careless comments that made Brendan so upset. She didn’t know anything about the team; she didn’t know anything about its members, how they got to Toronto, how they liked being here. She didn’t know the history and barely took time to learn.

_“You need to walk into this building everyday knowing and understanding the history of this hockey club beyond just the surface level and what Brendan tells you,”_ Kyle told her after she went crying to him like a baby. _“But you already know what to do, Aberdeen. You just need to find it within yourself and do it.”_

She needed to understand the team as an institution, but also as a group of guys creating and carrying on the legacy of that institution. 

Now she knew.

“That’s awful,” she said, considering everything he told her. She couldn’t believe a coach would hold something like that against a player. “You…you don’t deserve that, Will. Any of it.”

“I know,” he said, nodding his head slightly. “You don’t have to tell me that, minskatt. Mike’s just…listen, he’s a good coach – a great coach. I mean, he’s won two gold medals. And he has a very specific system—”

“William,” she interrupted him. He looked over at her. “Don’t make excuses.”

He smiled at her – a true, genuine smile. And as he did, the opening notes of ‘Style’ by Taylor Swift began to play, and a shiver ran up Aberdeen’s spine. She had to look away – _had to_ – because if she looked any longer at him, she would spontaneously self-combust. That, or lean over the centre console and do something she would immediately regret. As she looked out the front, she saw them approaching downtown – all the lights and the skyscrapers illuminating the city, and the CN Tower lit up brightly in red. “This is my favourite drive,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“This is my favourite drive,” she repeated, speaking up. “This…the Gardiner going into the city. Swerving through all the buildings. All the lights. And this song is perfect for it. Absolutely fucking perfect.”

William continued to smile at her, looking between her and the road as ‘Style’ continued to play. The riff, the beat…everything was perfect. She was busy focused on the view, and on the beat of the song, singing it lightly to herself, her voice getting above the volume of the song only minimally. She even took out her own phone and began recording the drive and the lights, no doubt to post on Instagram later. She looked perfect. She _was_ perfect, at least to him. He needed to utilize every ounce of self-control he had in him as he continued to watch her. “This is really hard,” he said out loud, breaking somewhat.

“What? Listening to Taylor Swift?”

He laughed. “No. All I really want to do is reach across the dash and hold your hand but I know I can’t.”

She blushed, looking down at her hands instead of looking at him. She always had a few rings on – a few dainty ones, stacked, and one her mom gave her that once belonged to her grandmother – and she began playing with them nervously. He signalled to get off at the appropriate exit. “Will…”

“I know, I know,” he said. He was biting his lip down, _hard_ , probably to stop him from saying or doing anything else. “I’m sorry.”

The rest of their ride was silent, since it wasn’t much longer until he reached her condo. When they finally arrived, she made sure he knew he didn’t have to get out of the car when he popped the trunk for her to get her carry-on. She rolled it back to the passenger window. “Thanks for the ride Will,” she smiled.

“Will I see you at the dinner tomorrow?” Will asked out the window, leaning over the centre console.

She paused for a second. He knew about that? She thought it was an office personnel only event. “You’re going?”

“Of course I am,” he smiled. 

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.”

“Brendan likes to shuffle some of us out as a surprise for the donors. It’ll be me, John, Jason, and Mitch,” he explained quickly. “So I’ll see you there?”

“Yes. You’ll see me there.”


	10. Chapter 9

**November 14 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was looking at herself in the mirror. 

She wore a beautiful, shimmery navy blue dress she thought completely colour-appropriate for the occasion and used the same pair of heels she wore to prom to complete the outfit. She’d taken an Uber though the walk would have only been seven minutes (she didn’t want to do that in heels) to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Wellington Street, where the dinner was taking place in the Wellington Room. Many of the official guests were already there: Kyle and his wife Shannon; Peter, his assistant; Brandon and Laurence and their wives; Cliff Fletcher; Brad Lynn; Leanne Hederson; Hayley Wickenheiser; Mike Babcock and his wife; all of the Leafs community representatives who just happened to be Leafs alumni. Then, all the big wigs from MLSE there: the entire Board of Directors, Larry Tanenbaum included; and the entire “Leaders” team anybody could see on the official website. The people that she didn’t recognize she could only assume were the major donors – the reason they were all there.

John and his wife Aryne thankfully saw her almost immediately and hugged her, keeping her company until Brendan arrived. He had texted her that he was two minutes away, and when he did, she went to meet him at the door. He exited the town car with his wife Catherine, looking absolutely glamourous. Lou waved at her from the front seat.

“Hello Aberdeen,” Brendan smiled as he approached her, his wife’s arm tucked into his. 

“Good evening Mr. Shanahan.”

“Brendan,” he quipped. “Aberdeen, I’d like you to meet my wife, Catherine. Catherine this is Aberdeen, my executive assistant.”

“Hi Aberdeen,” she smiled widely, extending her hand to shake. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Brendan has told me so much about you.”

“Only the good things, I hope,” she joked.

“Brendan can only say good things about Etobicoke girls,” she winked. “You look fabulous, by the way.”

“Oh, thank you!”

The three of them walked through the foyer and up the stairs together, with Catherine almost immediately seeing someone she knew, letting go of Brendan’s arm and going over to say hi. “Do you want me to get you anything? A drink maybe?” Aberdeen asked.

“Not right now. I just need to know where my wife and I are sitting.”

“We’re at table one, just to the right of the stage,” she informed him. “We’re with Kyle and Shannon, Peter, Masai and Ramatu, and Larry and Judy Tanenbaum.”

“Perfect. Thank you. And the prizes are all here?”

“Yes sir. If you go into the Wellington Room they’re all along the wall like you requested.”

“And my speech?”

Aberdeen tapped at her clutch – a borrow from Kasha. “Right here.”

“Good thing I always keep an extra one,” he said, tapping his chest to where his inside pocket was. He let out a breath. “Everybody here?”

“Seems like it, but I know we’re still waiting for a few more people. I haven’t seen some familiar faces.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Well, feel free to mingle, Aberdeen. This is a good opportunity for you to meet people. When we’re all seated for dinner, I’ll let you know if you need to do anything – if that. Just enjoy your time.”

She was a bit taken aback by that statement. “W…what? But I’m on the clock. You said so yourself.”

Brendan laughed. “I want you to mingle and have fun. Network a bit. I know all of these people. I don’t need to be reminded of who they are,” he explained. “There’s only a hundred or so of them anyway. The Night With the Blue and White in January – that’s much bigger. This is child’s play. So have fun,” he smiled at her. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go find my wife.”

“Okay sir.”

“Brendan,” he looked over his shoulder slightly as he walked away from her, approaching his wife who was chatting with an equally glamourous looking woman.

Aberdeen didn’t know what to do with herself. He wanted her to network? Not work? _Really_? She tried to find a familiar face in the crowd, but John and Aryne were speaking to another couple, and even Peter, Kyle’s assistant, was engrossed in a conversation with Leanne Hederson. She felt awkward approaching them even though she knew Leanne and spoke with her on multiple occasions. Being in an office was one thing, but in such a formal setting like this, the vibe was much different. 

“Girl Friday?” a voice asked from behind her. 

She closed her eyes and immediately cringed. Turning around, she saw Ethan Baker standing behind her. She tried not to vomit in her mouth. “You _really_ need to stop calling me that.”

“You got an invite?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked.

“I thought this was only for important people,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. A waitress approached them with some flutes of drinks, and Aberdeen took one, knowing she’d need alcohol to get through whatever conversation she was about to have with Ethan. Ethan took one too, taking a quick sip. “Thanks, Ethan. I can always count on you to bring me back down to earth when my head is getting too big,” she quipped.

“You look good though,” he said. 

She furrowed her brows; she didn’t know a compliment was capable of coming out of his mouth. “Uh, thanks?”

He gave her a very obvious up-down, taking her all in. This was getting more awkward by the second. Was he already drunk? He focused in on her arms. “You have tattoos?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Why haven’t I seen them?”

“I guess you weren’t looking.”

Ethan furrowed his brows. “Has Brendan seen them?”

“Of course he has. It’s not like they’re offensive. They’re lines from poems,” she said, almost immediately regretting it. She knew she was going to have to explain them at one point or another, but she wanted to prolong that as much as possible.

“What are they?” he asked, turning his head to the side as if that would give him a better look.

She sighed. “The one below the right elbow is the last line from the poem Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – ‘to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield’,” she said, flashing the delicate ink quickly. “And the one below the left elbow is from the Roman philosopher Seneca – ‘we are waves of the same sea’.”

He squinted at them, taking in the information that she was telling him. “They’re a bit dumb, Brendan Girl.”

Aberdeen’s breath hitched in her throat. She didn’t need stupid idiot Ethan Baker to approve of her tattoos by any means, but even unacknowledging them or changing the subject immediately afterwards would have been nicer. He had no idea what they meant to her; no idea about their significance. And now, he even gave her another stupid nickname. Even stupider than the last. “Wow, you really know how to charm a girl, huh?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“And all this time I thought you just watched video playback all day.”

“More important than getting coffee, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hey, Aberdeen!” a voice suddenly called out from across the foyer. Both Ethan and Aberdeen looked to see Jason and Jennifer Spezza approaching them. Aberdeen had never been so happy to see his goofy smile in her life. From behind him, she saw William wearing a perfectly tailored three-piece blue suit. _God_ , they fucking _matched_. Of all colours he had to wear tonight…

“Hey Jason,” Ethan said, trying to take over, even going so far as extending his hand so Jason could shake it. 

Jason completely ignored him as he leaned in to give Aberdeen a quick kiss on the cheek. Aberdeen eyed William standing behind him as he did so, who was looking down at Ethan’s hand. “Aberdeen, you’ve met Jen at the SBA,” he said, motioning between her and his wife. 

“It’s so nice to see you again, Aberdeen,” Jen smiled as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love your dress.”

“Oh, thanks Jen!” Aberdeen smiled, patting it down slightly, suddenly a bit self-conscious. Much like Aryne Tavares and Catherine Shanahan, Jen looked absolutely glamourous and flawless. Aberdeen, on the other hand, felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. She was appropriately dressed, but these women just exuded a confidence and elegance she was sure she didn’t have. At least _yet_. She eyed William patiently waiting for a greeting and decided to indulge him. “Hi William.”

“Hey Aberdeen,” he said, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Do I look good?”

“You look like you should be in an Abba tribute band.”

Jason, Jen, and William laughed at her comment; Ethan did not. He had never been in on the joke. “Well, we match,” William commented, eyeing her body in the dress.

“You know what they say…great minds,” Jason quipped. 

***

The dinner was going off without a hitch. She sat in between Brendan and Peter at the table, looking out onto all the guests seated at theirs. Brendan made a nice speech before dinner, as did Larry Tanenbaum. They had a champagne toast and were served a delicious appetizer. Aberdeen was looking forward to the incoming filet. She excused herself from the table to go to the bar, wanting to grab a ginger ale before the main course. She wouldn’t drink in front of Brendan, despite his insistence that it was okay. 

As she waited, she saw Ethan approach the bar too, but she tried to ignore him. He ended up standing right next to her, so interaction was inevitable. She truly wondered why he wanted to interact with her so much if all he did was put her down. It was clear he had a sick ego, and that putting people down fed that ego. But why did he pick on her? And did he pick on anyone else? Maybe people in his own department?

She decided not to say hi to him – not to start an interaction at all. Maybe he’d ignore her and be on his merry way. But as with every interaction with Ethan, that would not be the case. “You having a good time at the table with the big boys, Brendan girl?” he asked, leaning one arm against the bar.

“It’s fun,” she nodded her head, trying to say as little as possible.

“I still can’t believe you’re in that position. That he hired _you_ over some of the more qualified people that applied,” he shook his head.

How the hell did he know? How the hell did video analyst Ethan Baker know any of the other candidates who applied to the posi—oh my God. ‘ _Oh my God_ ’ Aberdeen thought to herself. He applied to the position. He knew who the other candidates were because _he applied to the position and didn’t get it_. Brendan hired her instead. _That’s_ why he was the way he was with her. “Why is it so unbelievable?” she asked, now having to mask the fact that she knew why he was always being a dick to her.

“Do you even know, or did you even hear of who Larry Tanenbaum was before you worked here?”

“I’m sorry, but did we all not watch him lift the Larry O’Brien in June?” she asked. “Do you honestly think I’m that dumb?”

“I don’t think you’re dumb. I just think you’re unqualified,” he clarified, because that made it so much better. “It’s a great job. I just hope you know how lucky you are.”

“I do,” she said. That was all she heard since she started this job.

“And besides – it’s a good thing that your friends with the guys now, you know,” he said, the jealousy coming back in his voice.

“Why’s that?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It makes the job easier. Maybe one of them will take pity on you. You’ll never survive Brendan,” he said matter-of-factly. 

Her mouth dropped. She’d been surviving so far, albeit with some hiccups along the way…what made him think she would never survive Brendan? “E…Excuse me?”

“You seem nice…smart,” he said. “You can’t do that job.”

The bartender finally placed her ginger ale in front of her – and thank God he did, because she’d had enough. Fuck him. _Fuck_ Ethan Baker. “Gotta go,” she mumbled, turning on her heels to leave.

“Bye Brendan Girl.”

***

“It was so nice to see you, Aberdeen,” Jennifer Spezza hugged her one last time as Jason waved at her from the curb. She was still inside, keeping warm; he was out on the sidewalk, hailing a taxi. “You’re getting an Uber, right?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Aberdeen nodded her head, flashing her phone.

Jen looked towards William. “And you’re staying with her until it comes?”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded his head.

“Good,” she said definitively. She pushed the door open with William’s help. “I’ll see you soon, Aberdeen. Stay safe!” she called out as she ran as quickly as her heels could let her towards the taxi. Jen sent one final wave as the taxi drove away, leaving Aberdeen and William alone.

Will was, of course, the first to look at her. “How far away is the Uber?” he asked.

“Two minutes according to the app,” Aberdeen said as she glanced at her phone. 

“And you don’t…I mean, you don’t want to walk home?” he asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice. 

“Not in these heels,” Aberdeen giggled. “My feet are already killing me.”

“I could carry you.”

Aberdeen gave Will a look. “We’re _not_ going to do that to your back.”

“Come on,” he smiled mischievously. “I bet I could do it.”

“Too bad we’re not going to try,” she said, glancing down at her phone again. “We should go outside to wave the car down.”

William opened the door for her, and they walked out together. Aberdeen looked to her left to try to see if the car was coming. William was only looking at her – how she looked between the street and her phone to see if the car was getting any closer. How her hair blew in the wind of the night. “Tomorrow’s going to be the last time I see you for two weeks,” he said, his voice low. He tried to imprint how she looked right now into his mind so he could remember it on the road trip. 

“I know.”

“Did Brendan tell you why he wasn’t coming with us?” he asked. 

“No. But it’s probably because it’s too long to be away from his family,” Aberdeen said. “His kids are his life. He wouldn’t miss a school function or any of that.”

William watched as she waved down the Uber, who pulled up to the curb. He wanted to get into the car with her. He wanted to go back with her to her building, no matter how short the ride was. Just to be able to stare at her a little bit longer. Just to spend more time with her, since he wasn’t able to spend all the time he wanted to spend with her tonight. “I’m going to miss you,” he said.

He could see her bite her lip. She looked up at him, her hand already on the handle. “Will…”

“Aberdeen? Aberdeen is that you?” a voice rang out suddenly, interrupting the moment.

Aberdeen and William looked to their left. A man was standing in a stylish peacoat, his group of friends continuing to walk ahead of him at a slower pace. He had a bewildered look on his face, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. William looked down at Aberdeen. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost. “Zane. Hi.”

“Oh my God. Didn’t think I’d ever catch you outside the Ritz Carlton,” Zane smiled, approaching closer to them. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good,” she gulped, trying to clear her mind of all the memories that were popping up. She felt William’s hand on her back and it brought her back down to earth. “William, this is Zane. Zane, this is William N—”

“Zane Kennedy,” he interrupted her, shaking William’s hand almost too enthusiastically. “Aberdeen and I dated in university, but we’re friends now.”

Aberdeen wanted to protest. They weren’t _friends_. They were the furthest thing from being _friends_. They’d barely spoken since the breakup, since he was such a jackass about it and broke her heart. She hadn’t been with anyone since – well, besides William. _That’s_ how much it affected her. And she was sure William was the only person capable of helping her get over him.

“You don’t say,” Will said, his tone slightly sarcastic. He looked down at Aberdeen and didn’t see any friendliness in her eyes. He only saw contempt for the statement Zane just made, which made William know he was lying. 

Zane focused his attention back to Aberdeen. “What are you doing out here?”

“I…I just came from an event,” she said. She felt William’s arm snake around her waist even more, making her shiver.

“An event? With the bank? Or did you finally figure out what you wanted to do?”

Now she was getting angry. She _always_ knew what she wanted to do; he just didn’t think being a writer was a serious career choice. She mustered up all the confidence within her. “No, not with the bank. I work for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Zane was taken aback at the news. “The…Toronto Maple Leafs?” he asked. “Like the hockey team?”

“That’s why she was going to introduce you to William Nylander before you interrupted her,” William piped up, smiling slightly. 

Zane was smart enough to get the hint William was making. He smiled. “You know, I thought you looked familiar,” he told William.

“You’ve probably seen me on TV once or twice,” Will quipped.

Zane could tell where this was going. There was a lot he could have said to Aberdeen, but with William there, he decided against it. He did have to admit one thing, though. “Well, you look good Aberdeen,” he said, licking his lips quickly. 

William could feel a rush of irritation and impatience coursing through his veins at Zane’s comment. “She does, doesn’t she?” he asked rhetorically. “She looked even better inside without her coat on, but only us lucky ones got to see that,” he said, staring directly into Zane’s eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to make sure she gets home safe, or else I’ll have to answer to Brendan Shanahan _and_ to Jennifer Spezza, and, well – between you and I – I’m more scared of Jennifer Spezza.”

“That’s cool,” Zane said, backing up. “Have a good night, Aberdeen.”

William opened the car door behind her as she watched Zane rejoin his friends who had been looking on at the interaction. She shuffled into the backseat, watching as William waved dramatically at Zane before getting into the backseat beside her. “It’s a very quick drive, I know. But I promise I’ll tip you a lot,” she said as the driver signalled to merge onto the road again.

She looked over at William who was still seething slightly at the comments Zane made. She was realizing a lot of things lately, and here was yet another one: no matter how hard she tried to suppress what was happening between them, she would still have feelings for William, and he would still have feeling for her. It was inevitable. Nothing could stop it. She could say anything, do anything – it didn’t matter. William was competitive. William was persistent. William was determined. William was… _William_. It would be hard, she’d give him that – because absolutely _nothing_ could happen while she was working for Brendan and the Leafs – but she could finally admit to herself, at least, that there was something there. Something that William absolutely refused to hide. And in him refusing to hide it, it just made her own feelings bubble slowly towards the surface, like lava oozing out of a volcano. 

But nothing could happen. Not now, if not _ever_. Regardless of how William felt. Regardless of how _she_ felt.

“You dated that guy?” William asked, his voice breaking her thoughts.

“Yeah. For most of third year university,” she admitted.

“He’s a bit of a dick.”

She laughed. If William could ascertain that after a minute long conversation, she could only imagine what opinion he’d have of Zane after an entire conversation. “You’re telling me.”

“Why’d you guys break up?” William asked.

She gave him a look. He just _had_ to know. He just _really_ had to know. “We outgrew each other. He also didn’t think writing was a serious career path. He told me I should consider a Master’s, or go to law school like him,” she explained. “He was the one who initiated the breakup, saying that he wanted to take the last year of university to, like, be one with himself and figure out if law school was really for him. But a month after we broke up, he was hooking up and dating this girl we knew, Alessia – a total smokeshow but dumb as a rock. Anyways, judging by his pretentious jacket, he got into law school.” She paused, considering the timeline of the events. “I think it was just three weeks, actually.”

“You deserve better than that,” William said after a moment of silence, digesting her words. He wanted to stop the Uber so he could run back to Zane and punch him in the face. He couldn’t believe someone would have the gall to treat her like that. And then to see her in the street and approach her like an old friend? How dare he.

“I know I do,” she said as she looked out the window.

William took a few deep breaths as he looked at her, wanting to say so many things but unable to decide exactly what to say. She still looked so beautiful and he didn’t know how to use his words. He was so desperate; so desperate to touch her even though he knew she’d flinch away; so desperate to kiss her even though he knew it was wrong. He didn’t know how he was going to last two whole weeks without seeing her when she’d become such a staple in his life. He had to physically restrain himself from placing his hand on her arm. “Can we FaceTime when I’m gone?”

Aberdeen whipped her head to look at him. From the look on her face it was as if he just proposed they elope in Las Vegas. “Will, _no_.”

“Aberdeen, please— _please_ —”

“No way William. No way.”

“It’s not like you’re going to be at the office when we do—”

“Will, that’s…that’s really inappropriate.”

“Aberdeen—”

“William—”

“Can’t you tell by now I don’t care that it’s inappropriate?” he asked. His hand had inched towards hers and was merely centimetres away before he had the wherewithal to pull it back dramatically. Not being able to hold her hand was absolute fucking torture for him and he didn’t know how he was going to survive it.

“Well can’t you tell by now I _do_ care?” she retorted. “It can’t happen Will. There’s no way.”

He admitted defeat. There was no way he would win this, no matter how much he begged. No matter how much he tried to explain himself. “I’m just gonna miss you, Aberdeen. And I’m gonna want to see you.”

“I know you will,” she said. “But it can’t happen Will. I’m sorry.”

The Uber driver pulled up to the curb outside Aberdeen’s building, where William had dropped her off at almost the same time last night. Aberdeen thanked him, getting out of the car. William slid towards where she had just been and rolled down the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” he asked. They were facing the Bruins tomorrow. She needed to be there. 

“I’ll be there,” she said, unable to hold her smile. “Get some sleep, Will. You’ve gotta score tomorrow.”

“Only for you, minskatt.”


	11. Chapter 10

**November 19 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was eating Doritos straight out of the bag. 

It was a Tuesday night, and she was on the couch with Minerva in her lap and Kasha beside her watching TV. The Leafs had lost to Las Vegas 4-2, and Aberdeen was ready to call it an early night – if only so she could put a facemask on before she went to bed. She didn’t have to be in the office tomorrow until about 10, which meant that she could sleep in. Plus, her eyes hurt. She’d been reading like a mad woman during all her days off, researching everything she could and trying to learn the history of the Maple Leafs: all the different players, the eras, the iconic moments, the not-so-iconic moments – everything. It was a lot to learn, but she knew that the second she typed the words into the Google search bar. She also knew she wouldn’t learn everything in four days, but alas, she was trying. She was doing what she knew she had in her. She was _trying_. 

Kasha snuck one last Dorito before she rolled up the bag and put it back in the designated “snack” cupboard in their kitchen. They folded up the blanket, fluffed the pillows on the small couch, and made sure Minerva had some food and water in her bowl before closing the curtains and retreating to their bedrooms. Minerva hopped onto Aberdeen’s bed, and she scratched behind Minerva’s ears which she knew she liked before changing into her pajamas and going to her washroom to wash her face. 

“Do you mind if I phone Evan?” Kasha called out from her bedroom. “I won’t be too loud, I promise.”

“Go for it!” Aberdeen said, truly not minding. She’d hear a few mumbles at most – nothing more – and she knew because Kasha did this often. It was sweet, and they were cute, and Aberdeen honestly didn’t mind. Kasha’s dad still didn’t know, which meant they were in their own world, which was nice. She and Kasha were still harbouring secrets for each other, as they always would.

Minerva meowed when she came back in the room. Aberdeen sat on her bed and cradled her in her arms for a few minutes, scratching and kissing her all over. Just as she was about to shut off her light and tuck herself into bed, her phone began to ring. She looked over to see Brendan’s name flashing across the screen. 

She froze. Brendan _never_ called this late. She picked up immediately. “Good evening Mr. Shanahan,” she greeted him.

“You need to be ready in half an hour with a suitcase packed for four days,” he said, his voice stern but sounding somewhat preoccupied.

Aberdeen stood up immediately. “Oh, okay. Of course. Um, why?” she asked.

“We’re taking a red eye to Phoenix.”

She felt like throwing up. That had to mean something was wrong with the team. A player was injured, or being traded, or maybe demoted? What if it had something to do with Kyle? What if it was about John? Was his captaincy at risk because they had only won two games in regulation in the past sixteen games? “Okay. No problem.”

“I’ll be there with Lou in half an hour. Tell _nobody_ ,” he said before he hung up the phone abruptly. 

Aberdeen began to freak out. She changed into a pair of clothes and threw her suitcase onto her bed, Minerva meowing at her and watching as she stuffed outfits into her suitcase. Minerva even tried climbing into the suitcase a few times, which made Aberdeen sad – all she wanted to be doing was cuddling with her cat, not thinking about the Leafs. She grabbed her travel bags that had her toiletries and travel-sized skincare and makeup products and threw them in as well. When she was finished, she zipped it up. She took a deep breath.

Minerva meowed.

“I’m sorry baby,” she whispered, scratching behind Minerva’s ears again. She grabbed her credentials off her dresser and put them around her neck. 

She exited her room and knocked softly on Kasha’s door. “Give me a second,” Aberdeen could hear her say to Evan. “Come in.” Aberdeen opened the door, popping in about half way. Kasha immediately saw that Aberdeen was wearing regular clothes. The look of worry on Aberdeen’s face was a tell-tale sign something was wrong. She put her phone against her chest. “Oh my God Aberdeen, what’s wrong?”

“I’m taking a red-eye to Phoenix,” she whispered, making sure Evan wouldn’t be able to hear her through the phone. Not that he’d say anything. “Something’s happening.”

“ _What’s_ happening?” Kasha asked, her eyes wide.

“I don’t know. Brendan hasn’t told me. But this is very unexpected and I’ve just had to pack for four days which means I’ll be in Colorado too. I’ll be back Sunday. But can you please watch Minerva? I know you weren’t supposed—”

“Aberdeen, of course, it’s not even a question,” Kasha said. 

“You can’t tell _anyone_ I’m going,” Aberdeen said. “I don’t know what’s happening, but you can’t say a word.”

“No no, of course not,” Kasha shook her head. “Can you at least text me when you land? So I know you’re safe?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aberdeen nodded, her mind running a mile a minute. What if it was William? What if it was Jason? “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Aberdeen. This is your job now,” Kasha said. “I’ll take care of Minerva, don’t worry.”

***

Aberdeen waited in the condo lobby for the town car. When she saw it pull up, she began walking towards it, pulling her suitcase behind her. Lou got out and loaded it in the trunk for her, and she opened the back door to sit in her usual seat. 

Brendan was, of course, already there, in a pair of slacks and a comfortable looking sweater. “Hi Mr. Shanahan,” she said, putting on her seatbelt. It was then and only then that she noticed another presence in the front seat. Usually, of course, it was just her and Brendan. 

“Aberdeen, the only people who know the following information I’m about to tell you are Larry, Kyle, myself, and Lou,” he began. She nodded her head, not believing she was privy to this information before so many other people just by virtue of having to travel with Brendan. She glanced over quickly to the man in the front seat. She saw a familiar face smiling back at her. “You know Sheldon Keefe,” Brendan said as he noticed them looking at each other.

“Of course,” she said. He was head coach of the Marlies. He was around often. Had multiple meetings with Brendan throughout her time working there. 

“Well, he’s the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

***

**November 20 th, 2019**

After boarding the MLSE private jet – not first class on a commercial flight, not even another chartered flight, _the MLSE private jet_ – and everyone sleeping most of the way to Phoenix, they landed and immediately checked into the same hotel as the team without telling a single soul. Everyone went straight to bed but were notified by Brendan that they had to “lay low” for the next day and would be leaving for the arena, where the team would hold their practice, at 1:30pm. Aberdeen barely slept, and had to stay cooped up in her room so nobody would see her and know Brendan arrived. It was torture. 

When she arrived at the arena with Brendan and Sheldon, Brendan told her to sit in the stands and wait. _That’s_ when she got _really_ nervous, because she knew he was prepping himself to fire Mike Babcock right after the practice, even though it was going on as they spoke. But she did as she was told, sitting and clutching her iPad in her lap so hard her knuckles were white. 

She noticed William first, of course, his blonde hair peeking through his helmet, as he kneeled on one knee in front of Mike Babcock as he addressed the team. John, Jason, Auston, Tyson – they were all there, and she picked them out one by one. Everybody was facing away from her, looking at the whiteboard. Her leg bobbed up and down uncontrollably. In a mere, what, thirty minutes, they wouldn’t even have to listen to him anymore.

When the team stood up and did some last-minute drills, Aberdeen noticed Kasperi look in her direction. William was skating over to him, and when he stopped in front of him, William did a double take. Her heart fluttered at the moment she knew he realized it was her. He would have almost missed his cue for the drill if Kasperi didn’t tap him. When he was finished the set-up drill and skated back to his place, he looked in her direction again, transfixed. 

That was when her phone buzzed. She took it out and saw a series of texts coming through from Brendan. 

_Kyle will be texting you soon. Please go into the locker room with him while he speaks to the team about the coaching change. Sheldon will be there too. Let me know how it goes, as I will be speaking to Mike._

_When we release the announcement expect crazy media. I will speak to them. Kyle will not. If Kyle is not done speaking to the team by the time the announcement is sent out and media comes in, don’t worry. Stay with Kyle._

_I think the team will appreciate seeing your friendly face when this comes down._

_You will have to help set up for a media press conference tomorrow but the Coyotes will also provide help. Me Kyle & Sheldon._

_Thank you for not leaking._

By the time she looked up from her phone, half of the team was already down the tunnel. John, Morgan, and Auston had stayed out to speak with Mike a little bit more, but she took that as her cue to leave the stands and at least start making her way towards the locker room. She knew the team probably had to undress, shower, and change into their regular clothes before Kyle said anything to them, but she was so anxious she couldn’t help it.

Another buzz from her phone. This time, when she looked at it, ‘Head Empty’ showed – the name she put for William, so nobody would know it was him.

_why are u here?_

She had to resist every urge in her to reply. She _couldn’t_. Brendan had sworn her to secrecy, and had already thanked her for that secrecy. If she typed even one word, William would know what was going on. So she ignored him.

_whats going on minskatt?_

_is everything ok?_

_pls answer me minskatt. what is happening_

_can i come see u? where are u?_

She put her phone on silent. She couldn’t take it. She held in every emotion she had as she walked through the arena and hallways, flashing every worker her credentials, before finally arriving at the visiting team’s area. She walked through the doorway and saw Kyle. He smiled and waved her over. 

“Thanks for coming,” he said as she approached him, still clutching the iPad to her chest. 

“Yeah, of course. No problem.”

“You know Aberdeen, Brendan trusts you,” he said. He could tell she was nervous by how white her knuckles were. He thought that maybe saying that would put her at ease. “That he made you come on this trip – that he made you privy to the information before a lot of other people…that says a lot.”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t so sure. “I’m just doing my job Kyle. He told me to be packed in thirty minutes and I was packed in thirty minutes.”

“But you didn’t leak it.”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows. “I… _why_ would I leak it?” she asked. It was the most absurd concept to her. “I would never do something like that. He thanked me for not leaking it too—”

“I know,” Kyle smiled slightly.

“But _why_?” she asked again. “There’s nothing in it for me.”

“Really? It’s interesting you see it that way,” Kyle said. “You could have sold that information to any newspaper or reporter and they would have offered you a job. A chance to write, which is apparently what you want to do, according to Brendan at least. But you didn’t.”

Aberdeen hadn’t even considered that. Sell the information for a writing gig at a national newspaper? She didn’t even know the opportunity was there, truthfully. What it revealed to her more than anything was that others had done it before – betrayed the team in some way. She couldn’t even consider it. She shook her head. “ _This_ is my job,” she said, her voice small. “I would never burn this bridge. I’d never sell Brendan or the team out like that for personal gain.”

Kyle smiled. “I’m going to chock it up to the fact that you’re young,” he said. “You’re only twenty-one, Aberdeen. This city is rife with opportunity for people who take advantage of others. But you’re not like that – at least yet.”

“I’d never take advantage of someone.” 

Kyle smiled. “Good. I like a person with conviction.” His eyes left hers as he noticed someone walking behind her. He nodded his head at whoever it was. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He opened the door for her, ushering her into the locker room. As she turned a corner, she saw all the guys sitting at their stalls. Quite a few of them noticed her come in and looked shocked. When they saw Kyle follow behind her, they knew something was up. 

“Hey guys,” Kyle began, addressing the room. “I know John let you know you all needed to stay back. It’s because I need to speak to you guys.” Aberdeen looked to her left and saw Sheldon lurking in the shadows. He smiled at her and she smiled back. “I want us to have a long, constructive conversation before you guys go back out there…because when you do, there’s going to be a big change,” Kyle continued. A lot of the guys looked confused. “That change being…well…Mike Babcock has been relieved of his coaching duties with our club,” he announced. She watched as some of their jaws dropped. “And your new head coach is someone many of you know very well – Sheldon Keefe.”

When Sheldon walked into the room and stood beside Kyle, the team broke out into a round of applause. Guys like Zach, Travis, and Andreas were smiling and clapping for him so Aberdeen could only assume that they had played for him on the Marlies. Jason seemed extremely happy. Tyson looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. 

She watched William. She couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

***

**November 21 st, 2019**

It was William who texted Aberdeen first that night, when they got back to the hotel after the game. _im coming over and u cant stop me_. At least he gave her warning this time so she didn’t have a sheet mask on and her hair wrapped in a towel. When she heard the lightest knock on her door, against all her better judgement, she ran over and opened it. 

William slipped into her room, wearing trackpants and a Gucci t-shirt that probably cost more than her last paycheque. She closed the door and locked it before turning around to face him. “Hi,” she said, her breath caught in her throat. Here he was, in her hotel room… _again_.

“Why didn’t you answer my texts after practice?” he asked, getting right into it, not bothering with pleasantries. 

“Will, I _couldn’t_ ,” she said. “I knew but I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t risk it. Brendan swore me to secrecy. I was on my couch eating Doritos, and then one hour later I was on the MLSE private jet on my way here. I still can’t believe I _am_ here.”

William nodded his head. He broke eye contact with her as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry. I was just – I was just so worried when I saw you. I mean I was happy, don’t get me wrong, but you know.”

“Yeah.” She looked at him, lost in his own thoughts. There was a moment of silence because, Aberdeen thought, he was still processing everything that happened today – and that didn’t include the game they won. A good start for a new coach, she thought. “Will?”

“Yes minskatt?”

“How are you feeling about everything?”

He let out a long breath – one he didn’t know he was holding in – as he pushed himself further onto the bed. He rubbed his face with his hands as she moved to sit on the opposite side of the bed cross-legged. “I don’t even know minskatt,” he finally admitted.

“I mean…I don’t mean to tell you what to think, but there must be some…I don’t know… _relief_ ,” she said cautiously.

He looked over at her, smiling slightly. “Yeah. Relief.”

“Because, you know…the backhanded compliments. You don’t have to take his shit anymore. You have a coach now who actually, like, values you and your skill and doesn’t throw you under the bus all the time,” she clarified.

“Yeah, I guess. Conflicted that I feel relief, though.”

It was glaringly obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it – well, that, or he really _didn’t_ know what to feel about it all. He was hard to read; he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve like she did most of the time. And she didn’t know whether to blame him, the time of night they were having this conversation, or something else. “Will—”

“Minskatt—”

“Can you just like… _talk_ to me, please?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper. She didn’t even look at him; she looked down and fiddled with the rings on her fingers nervously instead. “I just want to make sure you’re okay, Will.”

His hand reached out and grabbed hers in her lap, making her stop fiddling with her rings. Her skin felt like it was on fire as she looked up at him as he rubbed his thumb quickly over the back of her hand. Her mind quickly flashed back to the first night they were together in her bed – how electrifying his touch was then, too. Nothing had changed. “I’ll be fine, minskatt. You don’t have to worry about me,” he said, shifting to lie down on his side with her hand still in his. 

_But she did_. That was her problem. She was getting herself deeper into this mess even though she knew she had to get out. Like, he wasn’t even supposed to _be_ here, yet here he was. Never mind just being in her hotel room – now he was _on her bed_. _Lying down_. “Will—”

“There’s been a lot of change in my life already, minskatt. This is nothing,” he smirked, letting go of her hand. 

She knew that. She remembered what he told her about his family moving around a lot. It seemed like the only thing constant for him was change. She thought maybe his long-term contract brought an end to that, but there were so many other variables in hockey she constantly forgot about. “So long as you’re alright,” she said. 

“You know what would make it more alright?”

“What?”

“If you tell me how freaked out you were stepping onto that private jet for the first time,” he smiled.

Aberdeen started to giggle uncontrollably. She shielded her face in her hands and shook her head, hearing William’s infectious laugh. “Don’t even get me started.”

“Come on!” he beckoned. 

“It was torture.”

“ _Torture_?”

“I’m not used to all that, Will,” she said, finding herself lying down on her side to face him. She probably shouldn’t have. “Like obviously it was nice – don’t get me wrong. _Beautiful_. But it was all so… _crazy_.”

“ _Crazy_?” he just kept repeating her words. 

“Not all of us are accustomed to Gucci t-shirts and private jets,” she chastised. “God, Will. Sometimes I feel like the theme song to Murder, She Wrote is just playing in your head on a constant loop.”

“What’s it sound like?”

“Oh my God,” she mumbled, pulling her phone out from charging and opening the YouTube app to find the song. She played it out loud for William, and the more the theme played, the harder William laughed. His eyes crinkled and his smile stretched across his face; her eyes crinkled at the sound of his ridiculous laugh. More than anything, she was just happy that he was laughing after everything that had happened. 

Will shoved his face into the pillow as he continued to laugh, the song ending not long after. “Nobody roasts me quite like you do, Aberdeen.”

She thought about the list of the things she’d say he looked like whenever he asked _“What do you think?”_ when he walked in with his game-day suit on, her most recent being, _“You look like a medium pepperoni pizza with garlic dipping sauce.”_ The guys got a kick out of that one when they heard about it. Kasperi was even recording them all in the notes app on his phone. “You love it,” she said without thinking.

“Of course I do,” he mumbled, his dumb smile still on his face. “Tell me something Aberdeen.”

“What?”

He stretched out his hand again, one of them gliding over the skin near her elbow. “What do your tattoos mean?”

It was her turn to shove her face into the pillow. She knew this would come up one day, and truth be told, she wondered why it didn’t happen earlier. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got a lot of time.”

He did? That was news to her. It was late at night and he was in her hotel room instead of his own. “This one…” she began, pointing to the first, “ _‘to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield’_ …it’s the last line of one of my favourite poems, Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Do you know it?”

“No.”

“Well, it's a good poem. You should read it,” she quipped. “It’s about, like, the need of going forward, despite challenges, despite tragedy, despite anything. About being strong in will, pushing forward relentlessly. You know… _persistence_. Never facing life passively. It’s an attitude that I want to have in my life too. An attitude I want to try to embody every day.”

William’s warm smile made her nervous. “And you’re other one?”

She paused. “That one’s even more personal.”

“Tell me.”

“Do you promise not to laugh?”

“Of course.”

She paused. “This one is from Seneca. He’s a Roman philosopher. _‘We are waves of the same sea’_. It’s…my family,” she began. “Mom is Scottish but grew up in Northern Ireland, and my dad is from Iran. And if you know anything about the history of those two countries, it’s, like, focused on people’s apparent differences with each other creating conflict. But in Canada, when they met, despite the cultural differences, they came together. So like, we’re all waves, but at the end of the day…we’re part of the same sea. We’re in this together,” she explained, embarrassed. “I don’t know. I just thought it was beautiful. We can have all these differences, but at the end of the day we’re part of the same sea.”

The look on William’s face was one of pure adoration. He was biting him bottom lip trying to suppress a huge smile, and his eyes so blue and dewy-looking she thought she would faint if she looked at them any longer. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Maybe he thought the whole explanation was stupid.

“You’re just so adorable, minskatt,” he said, not trying to hide his smile anymore. “I could listen to you talk for hours. Sometimes I even just imagine you talking so I can hear your voice.”

“You do? Really?”

“Aberdeen…I think about you when I’m not even thinking.”

Her heart stopped beating. She felt a rush of blood warm her cheeks as she pushed her face into the pillow again. _God_ , he was really going there, wasn’t he? As they were laying in the same bed together. “You can’t just say stuff like that to me and think I’m gonna react normally.”

“I know,” he said. She shot him a look. “Aberdeen. I could listen to you talk all day and night. I’m serious. And besides, who was Ulysses or Alfred, Lord Tennyson anyway?”

“You _don’t_ know?!” she asked, flabbergasted. 

William shook his head. Aberdeen began talking, and he began listening. And to William, all was right in the world. 

***

**November 22 nd, 2019**

When Aberdeen awoke sometime the next morning, her body still felt tired and fatigued. She knew the day before was long and tedious with the press conference and the game, but she thought sleep would rejuvenate her. Apparently not. She brought her hand up with her watch and took a look at the time. It was still only 6:30am, so _no wonder_ she felt the way she did. Why in the hell was she waking up now? 

She sighed. 

Then something moved out of her corner of her eye. A body. On her bed.

As if on cue, everything from last night came flooding back into her mind. William coming over to her room. Talking about Mike Babcock’s firing and how he felt. Talking about her tattoos and what they meant. _“Sometimes I even just imagine you talking so I can hear your voice.” “I think about you when I’m not even thinking.”_ Then he’d asked who Ulysses and Alfred, Lord Tennyson were and she’d fucking taken the bait hook, line, and sinker _so easily_. They had ended up talking for so long they just fell asleep. Together. In the same bed.

_Oh my fucking God_.

She looked at how peaceful his face looked. God, he was fucking _beautiful_. Just… _beautiful_. But he couldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have been here in the first place. It went against everything. “Will…” she said softly, hoping he’d wake up. He didn’t. “Will,” she said more forcefully.

“Hmph?” he grumbled.

“Will, you have to go.”

He furrowed his brows at the sound of her voice, obviously not expecting it. He opened his eyes slowly, only to see her staring back at him. “Minskatt?” 

“Will, it’s 6:30, you have to go back to your room,” she whispered.

He looked around, realizing just like she did what had happened. “I don’t want to.”

“I know you don’t want to but you have to go before everyone starts waking up,” she reasoned. “If anyone catches you walking out of my room Brendan will have my head on a spit.”

He took her words into consideration before nodding his head and getting up slowly. He looked at the time before running his fingers through his hair. He looked back at her as she lay in the bed looking at him. “I’ll see you at breakfast, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. 

“Good,” he said as he got up, making his way over to the door. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

When the door closed behind him, Aberdeen sighed and brought her hands up to cover her eyes.

She was _fucked_. 


	12. Chapter 11

**November 29 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was ready to go home and watch the game. 

They were facing Buffalo tonight, the first game in a back to back that would see the boys _finally_ come home tomorrow after their long road trip. Like most nights, all she wanted to do was go home, snuggle with Minerva, and finish the bag of Doritos. Maybe she’d even be able to cook a well-balanced dinner before eating those Doritos she craved.

Except Peter had other plans for her. 

“You need to wait tonight for the mock-ups,” he told her before she could even pack up her bag and put on her jacket. 

“The…the mock-ups,” she nodded her head, pretending to know what he was talking about. 

“The _mock-ups_ , Aberdeen. Of the St. Pat’s jersey the team is going to wear,” Peter said. “You have to deliver it to Brendan’s house tonight when the designer is finally done with it.”

“I thought he got those last week.”

“He did, but every night since then he’s returned it with his notes,” Peter explained. “I’m supposed to do it, because Brendan is very private and doesn’t like strangers in his house, but I’m at an alumni event with Kyle tonight. So…you get the lovely task of waiting around for the mock-ups.”

“That’s fine,” Aberdeen said. She figured she wasn’t a stranger anymore to him, anyway – she’d been working for the team for about three months now. Plus, it wasn’t like she could refuse to do it. It was, in its own way, part of her job – sit around and do nothing but wait for something she needed to deliver.

“Now, it’s very important that you do exactly what I’m about to tell you,” Peter said, his tone suddenly getting very serious. “Write this down.” Aberdeen scrambled to get a pad of paper and a pen. “The mock-ups will be delivered to you in a black portfolio and you _must_ wait around for it until then. You’re going to have to deliver Brendan’s dry cleaning with the mock-ups.”

“Okay…” she scribbled everything down so quickly she could barely read her own writing. 

“Lou will take you straight to Brendan’s house, as he does every morning. Lou will have a spare key. You let yourself in. Now, Aberdeen…” Peter loomed over her sitting at her desk at this point. He was looking her straight in the eye, staring into her soul. “You do not talk to anyone. Do not look at anyone. This is of the utmost importance. You must be invisible. Do you understand?”

“Y—Yes.”

“You open the door and walk across the foyer. You hang the dry cleaning in the closet across from the staircase that leads to the basement. And you leave the mock-ups on the table with the flowers. You then leave like you weren’t even there – like the mock-ups were delivered by a stork or something.”

“O—Okay,” he had officially made her nervous. “W—What if—”

“ _Invisible_ , Aberdeen.”

She nodded her head.

***

“Here’s his key,” Lou said as they sat in the car for a few moments after he parked on the street. “Peter told you what to do, yes?”

“Mhm,” Aberdeen nodded, gulping nervously. She grabbed the key from Lou’s hand and clutched it in her hands. “Wish me luck, Lou.”

She exited the car and walked up the driveway slowly, clutching the portfolio in one hand and his dry cleaning in the other, swung over her shoulder. Shoving the key into the door, she opened it as quietly as she could, walking into his foyer. _Fuck_ , he had a beautiful house. So this was the benefit of being the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, huh? And a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. And one of the top 100 hockey players of all time…

Okay. The dry cleaning. 

She looked at the stairs that led to the basement and noticed the closet right across from it, so she opened the door as quietly as she could and hung the three suits. She closed it and looked around for a table with flowers. 

There was one right beside the closet.

There was one right at the entrance.

There was one further down the hall, with bigger flowers.

Aberdeen panicked. “Shit!” she squealed to herself. She stood in the hallway awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The distant sound of a TV on somewhere in the house could be heard. Somebody was walking upstairs. Brendan was obviously somewhere in the house, but she had to be invisible. _Invisible_. But which table was it?! What if she left the portfolio on the wrong one and he didn’t see it? What if – what if – it had to be the table with the big flowers on it, right? It was the biggest table. The portfolio would at least fit on it and wouldn’t fall off. The other tables were smaller. Okay, big table with big flowers it was.

So she began walking into his house. As quiet as a mouse.

But then she heard voices. A long _“Daaaaad!”_ and Brendan’s voice mumbling something. Aberdeen froze in fear.

“Sweetpea, I was on a conference call with the NHL offices in New York City,” she heard Brendan loud and clear now as he followed his youngest daughter, Cate, right into Aberdeen’s view.

Cate whipped around and stopped right in the doorframe Aberdeen was looking into. “But dad, I rushed out of class to try and call you, and I was trying to get a hold of you for almost an _hour_ —”

“I was busy, sweetpea. My cell phone line was all tied up and the notifications were silenced for the meeting—”

“You were the only dad who didn’t know within the hour. Everyone else’s dad called to congratulate them on being selected for the team. And I knew what all my friends were thinking – there’s Cate, waiting for her dad _again_.” Cate stopped, noticing Aberdeen in the hallway. Aberdeen couldn’t move as Cate saw her – she was too terrified. When Brendan noticed his daughter looking away, he looked as well, seeing Aberdeen.

If one look could murder someone, Brendan had it on his face. 

Cate walked away from her dad, leaving him staring at Aberdeen, who was practically trembling from fear. Her body felt like it was full of cement as she stood in place, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t just hand in him the portfolio; she could just outright leave his house with the portfolio still in her hands. As he continued to stare at her, she felt her body getting hotter under the pressure to do something. Without thinking, she turned to her side, put the portfolio on the third or fourth step of the stairs beside her, and rushed out of the house, not looking back. 

***

**November 30 th, 2019**

The next morning, Lou informed her that Brendan had gone into the office early, so they didn’t need to drive out to Etobicoke. Aberdeen thought that weird, but didn’t put too much thought into it. When she walked into the office alone, she barely had the opportunity to put her coffee or bag down before Peter swooped in. “Nooooo no no no, you get over here,” Peter grabbed her arm.

“Okay okay okay okay—” she knew exactly what this was about. 

“ _What_ in the world happened last night, Aberdeen?” he asked. 

“It really wasn’t that big a deal. I promise. There were multiple tables with flowers, so I went into the hallway, you know near the stairs where the big table is—”

“You went into the hallway? Oh my God, why didn’t you just climb into bed with him and Catherine and ask for a _bedtime story_?!” Peter was indignant.

“Okay, I made a mistake. I know—”

“Aberdeen, you don’t understand. _I_ was the one supposed to teach you the ins and outs of this. _I_ can get in shit too, and if that happens, I will search every bank in the city of Toronto you’ll be telling in until I track you down.”

Aberdeen’s eyes widened at what Peter was implying. “He’s gonna fire me?!”

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. But he’s not happy.”

“Aberdeen?” her name was called from deep within Brendan’s office. 

Both she and Peter looked towards the office. Aberdeen could swear her heart was beating out of her chest. She put her bag down on her desk and took off her jacket before she walked in, standing a few feet away from his desk. “Mr. Shanahan…about last night—”

“I need you to get a jersey signed by Nick,” he said, furiously scribbling something down on his notepad, not looking at her.

She exhaled quietly. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t as mad as Peter made him out to be. Maybe he took it in stride and realized she was still learning and all he wanted her to do right now was get a jersey signed by Nik Antropov. “Okay. Okay. I’ll go down to player development right now.”

“Did you fall down and smack your head on the pavement?”

She froze. He finally looked up at her through his glasses, waiting for an answer. Okay, maybe he was angry. “Not that I can recall.”

“We need a Tre Kronor jersey from 2006 signed by Nicklas Lidstrom for a veteran who will be in attendance at the game tonight against Buffalo,” he said before focusing back on whatever he was scribbling down. “We’re surprising him off-camera since Nick is his favourite defensemen.”

Aberdeen’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “You want a signed jersey I can only find in Sweden?”

“We know everybody in hockey. It shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” he asked, peering at her though he was still scribbling. “And you can do anything, right?”

She smiled meekly at him before exiting his office. She scurried behind her desk and noticed that Peter was still there, waiting for her to get out. “He doesn’t get it,” she mumbled frantically to herself, scrambling and picking up things she didn’t even need, only to put them back on her desk. “I could call fucking Nicklas Lidstrom himself. I’m not gonna get that jersey.”

“What?” Peter furrowed his brows.

“Colonel Richard Brant will be backstage with us before the game. 6:30 is when I hope to give him the jersey so it better be here no later than six,” Brendan said as he walked out of the office, looking down at his watch for extra effect.

“Of course!” Aberdeen exaggerated her smile.

“And I’d like a hot coffee here in fifteen minutes when I get back,” he walked off.

“No problem!” she called out, starting to pant. “Okay. I have nine hours to get the impossible jersey. Starbucks is just downstairs. How am I going to do this?”

“Aberdeen, _what_ are you talking about? _What_ impossible jersey?”

Aberdeen ignored Peter’s question, closing up her iPad and shoving it into her purse. She sprung up from her desk chair. “Okay. I will be back in ten minutes. Wish me luck!”

“Aberdeen!” Peter called after her as she ran down the hallway. “ABERDEEN!”

***

Aberdeen’s heart had never beat so hard as it did as she was waiting for Brendan’s coffee. She tried to think of ways she could get this impossible jersey. Nicklas Lidstrom lived all the way in fucking Sweden. _Sweden_. A ten hour flight away – probably more. And it’s not like the Leafs had his personal number or anything. She had no way of contacting him and no way of even knowing anybody who would be remotely close to—

_“We know everybody in hockey,”_ Brendan’s words echoed in her ear. 

Her eyes went wide. She took out her phone and began furiously typing ‘Nicklas Lindstrom agent’ – three different agencies popped up with three different phone numbers – one for hockey, one for professional appearances, and another one for signings. This was her start.

“Coffee for Brendan!” the barista called out, and Aberdeen reached to grab it before the barista could even put it down. She rushed back up to the office, scurrying through the hallways and into his office to place it on his desk. 

She watched as he walked in, looking at his watch. “What’s that?” he asked, grabbing some files from his desk. “I don’t want that. I’m having lunch with Larry. I’ll be back at three.”

Brendan left just as quickly as he arrived. Aberdeen stood awkwardly in his office, trying not to cry as she picked up the Starbucks cup and practically whipped it into the garbage can. She made herself calm down so her voice wouldn’t crack as she grabbed her iPad and her phone and began calling the numbers available for Nick. When the two first ones didn’t even answer the phone, she prayed to God the last number worked in her favour.

She was put on hold for over ten minutes. She wanted to scream. Just as she was about to hang up and try the other numbers again, or at least call back because maybe she got stuck in an alternate “on hold” universe where she had been floating in the abyss for the last ten minutes, the stupid elevator music that was playing stopped. “Alright, who’s Aberdeen Bloom and what do you need?” a man’s loud voice suddenly filled the line.

“Yes yes yes yes. I’ve been on hold. It’s for Brendan Shanahan – my name is Aberdeen Bloom and I’m his personal assistant. It’s very important. I need access to Nicklas Lidstrom and a Tre Kronor jersey—”

“Impossible,” the man barked. 

“Well, I was wondering if you could make the impossible possible…if that’s at all possible,” she was practically begging. She knew she sounded completely desperate but at this point, she didn’t care. Her job was on the line, and she would do anything to save it.

“ _Impossible_ ,” he barked again. “What do you think this is, some sort of convention?”

“Have I mentioned it’s for Brendan Shanahan? President of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Cause I think that makes a difference,” Aberdeen pressed.

“I know you’re desperate but it can’t be done,” he continued. “You’ll just have to come up with a plan B.”

“This is Brendan Shanahan we’re talking about,” Aberdeen wanted to scream into the phone. “There is no plan B – there is only plan A.”

“Listen. Nick’s in Toronto but he’s booked solid. He’s not taking any new meetings or engagements.”

Aberdeen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wished this fucking dude could have _led_ their abysmal conversation with _that_ tidbit of information instead of giving her the go-around. “He’s – He’s in Toronto?!”

“Yes, he’s been staying at the Four Seasons for the past two weeks because of the alumni game he had with Mats Sundin and other engagements. But he’s leaving for Sweden tomorrow. Today is his last and possibly his busiest day. He just _can’t_ get it done.”

The Four Seasons was up in Yorkville. She could get there in maybe ten minutes if she flagged down a taxi. “Have a good day,” she said as she hung up her phone, grabbing her bag and iPad before rushing out of the office

If Nick’s agent wasn’t going to help her, she was going to have to get to Nicklas her damn self.

***

Aberdeen tried to walk calmly into the Four Seasons – not at all looking like she was in a rush because her job was on the line and she was going to be fired at six that night – but the attempt proved futile. One of the women behind the check-in desk was looking right at her the entire time she made her way towards them. 

“Hi,” Aberdeen said, slightly out of breath. “My name is Aberdeen Bloom,” she said, grabbing her credentials and flashing them at the woman. 

“Can I help check you in?” the woman smiled.

“No no. I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant.” The woman looked confused. “Brendan Shanahan, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” she said, pushing the credentials forward so the woman could look at them herself. “I need you to call Nicklas Lidstrom’s room for me so I can speak to him.”

The woman looked between Aberdeen and her credentials and furrowed her brows. “Miss, I’m sorry, but a Mr. Nicklas Lidstrom is not staying at this hotel.”

Aberdeen’s body felt like it was on fire. She knew this woman was lying, and Aberdeen didn’t have time for it _at all_. There was no time for _anything_ to go wrong right now. “Listen, I know this is all very weird, but I _know_ he’s staying here. His agent just told me he’s been here for the last two weeks. I need you to get a hold of him for me.”

“Miss – a Mr. Lidstrom is not staying at this hotel,” the woman repeated, moving towards the computer. “I can even type his name in for you – no-one by that name is staying here.”

“Please, _please_ , I’m begging you,” Aberdeen shook her head. This couldn’t be happening to her right now. “I know he must be under an alias or something because he’s a hockey player and this is Toronto. _I get it_. But I really need you to—”

“Miss, I’m sorry but it can’t be done,” the woman pushed Aberdeen’s credentials back towards her so she could take them. “Nobody by that name is staying here. And that’s that.”

“But his agent _told_ me—”

“Miss, if you’re going to keep pressing this, I’m going to have to call my manager.”

That’s the last thing Aberdeen needed. Aberdeen grabbed her credentials before giving one last dirty look to the woman as a ‘thanks for nothing’ – it was probably immature, but Aberdeen really didn’t like her right now.

_Now_ what was she going to do? If the hotel wouldn’t even let her have access to him, despite her showing them her credentials, how in the hell was she going to get to talk to him? Would she have to sneak into the elevator and knock on every door until she found him? Would she have to call back his agent and demand the access to him? Would she have to learn Swedish and scream his name into the streets of Toronto and hope he’d hear? Would she – Swedish – Swedish –

_Swedish_. 

No. 

She couldn’t.

She shouldn’t.

_She had to_. 

She whipped out her phone and called a number she knew off by heart. “Real Sports Bar and Grill, how may I help you?” a perky voice answered on the other end.

“This is Aberdeen Bloom, Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant,” she began as she usually did when she called them. “I need you to get me the contact information for Michael Nylander immediately.”

“A-ber-deeeeeen Bloooom?” the girl on the other end asked. Clearly she was new. All the other hostesses already knew her name and had done the super-elongated pronunciation of her name before. “I just can’t _give_ that information away—”

“I am Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant,” she repeated, her tone harsher this time. “Check the employee directory if you need to.”

“I don’t have access to that—”

“ _Then call your manager!_ ” she screamed, her patience wearing thin. “I need his telephone number _now_.”

***

“Hello Mr. Nylander, this is Aberdeen Bloom calling. You, uh, you probably don’t remember me – we met very briefly after a game in Toronto when you came to say hi to William and I opened the door for you. I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant. Um, anyways, listen – I have a massive favour to ask you because I’m desperate. Like, _desperate_. I noticed that you played on the same World Championship team as Nicklas Lidstrom, and I was wondering if you can please give me his personal phone number. Like, a number he’d use when he’s in North America. I need to contact him about something urgent, _very_ urgent. So, um, please, if you could give me a call back, that would be amazing. Thank you, Mr. Nylander. Have um, a good night? I know it’s like almost night time there. Okay bye.”

***

Every jersey on eBay was a fake or already had a name on it. Aberdeen was getting desperate. She’d been to Real Sports Apparel – no Tre Kronor jerseys. She’d called every SportsChek, Sportling Life, Champs Sports, and just about every independent sports store in Toronto – no Tre Kronor jerseys. Even the last store that she’d visited – gone by foot, even – didn’t have anything Swedish.

She was going to cry. She’d be fired. This is where it all ended. She’d end up a bank teller for the rest of her life. She’d never be able to write. She’d never be able to do what she loved. All because she couldn’t find a stupid jersey and was denied any access to one of the best defencemen in the history of the league —

Then her phone began to ring, snapping her away from her thoughts. It was an unknown number. Against her better judgement, she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Aberdeen Bloom?” a calm voice asked on the other end. She noticed because she was anything calm right now.

“Speaking.”

“Miss Bloom, this is Nicklas Lidstrom.”

Aberdeen stopped dead in her tracks, making various people almost crash into her on the sidewalk. One of them gave her the finger. “Mr. Lidstrom! Hello!”

“My good friend Michael Nylander called me and gave me your number and told me to get in touch with you,” he said. Her eyes went wide; she was going to have to erect a gold statue in Michael’s honour. “Apparently you’re Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant and there is an urgent matter?”

“Yes Mr. Lidstrom, _yes_ ,” she said, spinning around because she didn’t know what to do. “Sir, I understand you’re in Toronto right now.”

“I am.”

“Staying at the Four Seasons?”

“Yes…”

“We have a veteran coming to the game tonight – Colonal Richard Brant – and you are his favourite defenseman,” she explained. “I was wondering if you could sign a Tre Kronor jersey from 2006, when you won the gold medal.”

Nicklas laughed into the phone. “A Tre Kronor jersey? Miss Bloom, I will sign what you need me to sign, but I don’t have a Tre Kronor jersey with me. Not _least_ from 2006.”

“If I find one, will you sign it?”

“Well, I don’t know where you’re going to find an almost fifteen year old mint-condition Swedish jersey in Toronto, but sure. Unless you have it shipped in from Sweden. You’ll have to come to the Four Seasons after 5:30 – that’s when my last commitment ends,” he said. 

“I’ll be there at 5:30,” she said definitively. “I’ll call you back on this number.”

Aberdeen’s heart was racing as she hung up the phone. She had exhausted all her sports store leads for Swedish jerseys. What else could she do? Who else could she call? Who in Toronto would have a mint condition Tre Kronor jersey from 2006? Swedish people, obviously, but…

Her eyes went wide. She swiped through her phone to find another phone number. 

“Aberdeen?” Robert Nordmark, one of the Swedish scouts for the Leafs, answered on the other end. “Why’re you calling me?

“Robert, where can I find a 2006 Tre Kronor Olympic jersey in Toronto?”

***

It was 5:55pm as Aberdeen made her way throughout the offices, her flats clacking against the floor as she made her way into Brendan Shanahan’s office. He was facing away from her, so he couldn’t see her come in and place the jersey on his desk in one fell swoop. It was the breeze from the jersey that finally made him turn around, immediately eyeing her and looking down at the jersey on his desk.

“One jersey, not signed?” he asked, staring down at the Tre Kronor jersey. “What is the colonel going to do with that? He probably already has _five_.”

“Oh no, here’s the signature,” she said, flipping the jersey over to reveal the perfect inscription and signature. “I had Mr. Lidstrom customize it and sign it, right here on his number,” she said, watching Brendan’s eyebrows raise higher and higher until he took off his glasses. “And one more thing.”

Brendan’s eyes whipped up to meet hers. “What’s that?”

On cue, Nicklas walked into Brendan’s office. “Hey Shanny – or do I have to call you Mr. Shanahan now?”

“Nicklas,” he smiled, though he was still looking at Aberdeen. His body was perfectly still despite one of his old friends walking into the room. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Aberdeen smiled.

He eyed her one more time. He was clearly in shock that she was able to get it done. “That’s all.”

***

Aberdeen’s body was aching with fatigue as she gathered the last of her belongings from her desk after the game. The Leafs had won in overtime, Colonel Richard Brant got his jersey and got to meet Nicklas, which made him cry, and everything was alright in the world. She’d finally be able to go home after the shit-show of the day she had. Cuddle with Minerva. Eat Doritos. Eat in general, since she hadn’t all day, too busy going on wild goose chases all over Toronto for Nicklas Lidstrom and a Tre Kronor jersey from random Swedish people living in The Beaches who just happened to have _five_ Nicklas Lidstrom jerseys from 2006 in their house because that’s how much they loved him.

As she escaped down the stairs, taking the route that would lead her right out the door to the street, she heard another person’s shoes clacking up the concrete steps. When she looked up, she saw William rushing up the stairs. 

Of course. Because the day couldn’t just _end_.

“Aberdeen,” he said, approaching her and grasping onto her elbow gently, sending shockwaves throughout her body. It didn’t even matter that she had her wool coat on. He pulled her over to the side on one of the landings, a worried look on his face. “Why’d you call my dad today?”

She shook her head. She should have known Michael would also call William about it. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, tell me _now_ ,” he said. “I’ve been worried fucking sick since he called me to tell me and I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I just…I had to get a hold of Nicklas Lidstrom, and your dad helped,” she explained briefly, not really wanting to get into it. She didn’t want William knowing how much of a fucking idiot she was and the reason why she had to do this seemingly impossible task in the first place. “It’s all – it’s all fine.”

“So you’re okay?” William pressed.

“Yeah. Fucking tired though. Niklas is one busy guy,” she tried to make a joke. William didn’t laugh. She sighed. “Can I just go home?”

“Why’d you have to get hold of Nick?” he asked, not able to let it go.

She sighed, bringing her hand up to rub her forehead. “I made Brendan angry, okay? I fucked up and I like, went into his house when I wasn’t supposed to and overheard a fight he was having with his daughter and then he saw me and—”

“Holy shit, Aberdeen.”

“Yeah, _I know_. _Believe_ me,” she said. “I had to live through how much he didn’t like that today, alright? You don’t have to tell me too.”

William could tell by the tone of her voice she didn’t want to talk about it. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again, wanting, _needing_ to make sure. He even went so far as to reach out to grab her hand, though she pulled away before he could really get a good grip and lace his fingers with hers.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m just tired, Will. Can you please just let me go home?”

“Can I walk you home?”

With whatever backbone she had left in her after the day she’d just had, she shook her head. “No, Will. You should be going home to sleep.”

“But Aberdeen—”

“Goodnight, Will,” she said as she sidestepped away from him. “Nice goal tonight, by the way,” she said as she looked back at him, descending down the stairs. 

***

**December 4 th, 2019**

Lou and Aberdeen had been waiting in Brendan’s driveway for almost ten minutes. He had never taken this long in the mornings ever since she began her job, and she was starting to get worried. Was he already in the office and forgot to tell them? Did he sleep in? Brendan wasn’t one to sleep in.

“This ever happen before?” Aberdeen asked Lou.

“He’s probably looking for a sock or tie pin,” he joked. 

Her phone began to ring, and she saw his name flash across her screen. “Good morning Mr. Shana—”

“Can you come in here quickly please? Aaaargh!” he gruntled into the phone. He sounded like he was moving something.

“Um…I’ll be right in,” she said, taking off her seatbelt and getting out of the car. This had to be some sort of joke. Just a few days ago he murdered her with his eyes for being in his house – now he wanted her inside? She didn’t get it. 

When she shut the front door behind her, he must have heard her. “Can you come downstairs, please?” he called out from the basement. 

“Is this some sort of sick joke?!” she called back, standing nervously in his foyer. 

“No – no, but I get why you’d ask that. I can be an asshole, I know,” he kept calling out. At least he admitted it out loud. “I just need your help finding something!”

Against her better judgement, Aberdeen took off her winter boots and made her way into Brendan’s house, going down the stairs into the basement. She saw Brendan kneeling on the floor in his suit, a bunch of boxes surrounding him. “I need your help finding some of my old yearbooks.”

“Yearbooks?”

“Yes. Can you check these boxes while I work on these?” he said, rummaging through the one in front of him. 

Aberdeen did as she was told, looking around the boxes for the apparent yearbooks he was so desperate to see this morning. On her third box, she hit the jackpot. “These?” she asked, lifting one up.

“Yes!” Brendan exclaimed excitedly. She handed it to him. “God, this is from St. Leo.”

Aberdeen perked up at that name. “You went to St. Leo?”

“Yeah, why?”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Of all the schools in Etobicoke – of all the _Catholic_ schools in Etobicoke. “My mom teaches grade one at St. Leo,” she revealed. 

“What!” he exclaimed excitedly, his eyes lighting up at the information. “Oh man…I guess I never really _did_ ask you about your family, huh?”

“You haven’t,” Aberdeen shook her head. “But that’s okay. I don’t…I like to keep them separate. I don’t like bringing my work home. Family stays family and work stays work. That’s the way I like it. No overlapping, because then things get complicated.”

“I get it,” Brendan nodded. “That’s why I got so upset when I saw you in the house…I mean, I—"

“You don’t need to – I was being an idiot,” Aberdeen shook her head, trying to wave it off.

“No no – you deserve an explanation,” he said. “This job is all encompassing. Sometimes I forget that I should be on the beck and call of my children rather than the NHL head office,” he explained. “Catherine did a lot of the parenting while I was playing, as you can imagine. But when I retired, I made a promise to myself that I’d always be there for my kids. That they would always know they were the priority instead of hockey. Sometimes I break that promise. And it breaks my heart when I do, because I don’t want my kids thinking that they’re not my first priority. So that night, when Cate told me she had made the rowing team, and that she was trying to call me to tell me the good news, and I didn’t answer the phone – she got upset. _I_ got upset. It was a horrible thing for me to do. And then I saw _you_ and you reminded me of _work_ in that moment fighting with my daughter and it just – it all spiralled out of control. Work didn’t become separate from family in that moment. But I want to apologize, Aberdeen.”

“You don’t have to do that—”

“Yes, I do, Aberdeen. I was being an asshole. And I shouldn’t have punished you when all you were doing was your job. So really – I’m sorry.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what to say. It was so clear to her that Brendan loved his family and children more than anything, but she could understand how being president of the Toronto Maple Leafs could be all-encompassing. She could understand how it took a lot out of a person – and how that person would want some quality time with family when they got home. “Thank you,” she began awkwardly. “But I must say, that wasn’t the first time I’ve done something stupid since moving downtown and getting this job. And as my boss you know better than anyone – besides my mother – that it won’t be my last time.”

Brendan chuckled slightly at her words. “I promise I’ll be nicer next time,” he quipped. “So your mom wasn’t nervous or scared about you moving out and living downtown?” he asked.

Aberdeen snorted. The notion to her was completely ridiculous. “My mom grew up in Belfast and Derry during The Troubles – she’s not scared of _shit_.”

Brendan laughed out loud. “A Belfast lass? She’s like my mom, then.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm,” Brendan nodded his head. “Rosaleen. Dad’s from Dunmanus in the Republic.”

“My mom’s family is originally from Aberdeen in Scotland. Hence my name. But my grandparents moved to Belfast before my mom was born because my grandpa got a job there. Then to Derry,” she explained.

“So does your mom have an accent?”

“Oooooooh yeah,” Aberdeen nodded. “She’s straight out of that show _Derry Girls_. She moved to Canada when she was eighteen so the accent never left her. There’s no way she could lose it. I mean, she lived in Bogside in Derry. Staunch Catholic. Still goes to church every Sunday.”

“Do _you_?”

Aberdeen shook her head. “My sister and I used to. She’d drag us along, but we stopped in high school after our confirmation. Still have the guilt though,” she joked.

“Ahhh, that good old Catholic guilt. And your dad?”

“Dad’s Persian.”

Brendan looked at her skeptically. Everybody _always_ did when she told them her dad was Persian. “Bloom isn’t a very Persian name.”

Aberdeen nodded. “Yeah…it’s a long story,” she said. Brendan’s look urged her to go on. “My dad fled Tehran during the revolution. His parents were university professors and after the political revolution came the cultural revolution. They taught English literature and promoted a lot of Western texts so they knew they would be targeted. They made him leave because they were scared the new government would target him, too. He was only fourteen.”

“ _Fourteen_?”

“Yeah.”

“H—How did he get out?”

Aberdeen shrugged. “He walked. Took buses and stuff. His parents gave him money to pay traffickers to get him across borders. They made him change his last name so he wouldn’t get caught. Forged documents and everything. He chose Bloom because of Leopold Bloom from _Ulysses_.”

“James Joyce.”

“Exactly,” she said. “So he left and went Aleppo first. All his documents were processed there – claimed refugee status, all that. Then Canada finally accepted him, and he came over at eighteen as well. Didn’t look back.”

Brendan was silent as he took in all the information. “What happened to your grandparents?”

Aberdeen paused. “When he first left, he would write them every week. The letters back and forth would be sent through intricate channels and to friends of friends so it could get to each other and not be traced, because they were still scared. It lasted for maybe a year, but then they stopped responding. And he knew.”

Brendan stayed silent. The information she’d just revealed to him was clearly hitting him hard. And he knew nothing about it until now. He realized there was a lot more to Aberdeen than he thought; a lot more to her than he led himself to believe. He should have known better. Everyone had a story, a family history within them that defined who they were and how they saw the world. This was Aberdeen’s story; this was her family history that defined so many things about her. “Your parents have been through a lot – the Troubles and a revolution. That’s incredible.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “I think it’s part of what bonded them together. They had similar experiences in that regard. Like, my mom voluntarily left and went to university here because she was sick of all the violence at home. She felt like it would never end, and she never went back to Northern Ireland until it did. And my dad – well, he left kind of involuntarily, but he knew deep with him he had to leave Iran. And when he finally got to Canada, he loved it. He’s always told me and my siblings he never considered returning, and that he thanks his lucky stars every day that Canada accepted him.”

“Siblings?”

“Siena’s older – she’s in law school in Ottawa. Then there’s the baby Camden. He’s eleven. Right now he wants to be an engineer.”

Brendan nodded his head. “So then tell me something, Aberdeen,” he began. “Who is it you want to be like?”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “I just want to be the best version of me, really.”

“But there needs to be a person you look up to, career-wise,” Brendan pressed.

Aberdeen shrugged sheepishly. She was almost embarrassed to say. “Anna Wintour.”

“Pardon?”

“Anna Wintour,” she said more loudly this time. 

“Anna Wintour?” he asked, clearly shocked by her answer. “Why Anna Wintour?”

“Well, for one, she’s incredibly stylish – that’s a given,” Bee shrugged again. “But it’s important. Because regardless of how much people peddle that inner beauty is what counts, your first impression of someone isn’t of their inner beauty. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, I’m just saying that’s the way it is. So she’s stylish, and she presents herself well, but also…she got shit done. She was an editor at magazines. She’s changed the way we see fashion and how fashion influences us our everyday lives. I know not a lot of people like her and I know she has her faults, but we all do. She’s incredibly driven – even now when she’s perhaps one of the most iconic magazine editors in recent memory. She’s never complacent. She always strives for more. She seeks out new designers to support. She finds the best and promotes the best. She never stops.”

“You mean she strives, she seeks, she finds, and doesn’t yield?” he chuckled slightly, referring to her tattoo.

“Exactly.”

“And you enjoy fashion?”

Aberdeen smiled. “I enjoy it as much as an almost-broke-just-graduated-from-university person can,” she joked. “It’s not really about the fashion. I think I’m fashionable and can _be_ fashionable given the opportunity but it’s not about that. It’s about _creativity_.”

Brendan smiled knowingly. “Creativity,” he repeated before pausing. “You know Aberdeen, I wasn’t sure if you were going to be able to pull off the Nicklas Lidstrom thing,” he admitted.

“I know you didn’t.”

“You know, out of all the personal assistants I’ve had, you’re the only one that was able to pull something like that off,” he revealed. “And not only that – you got Nick to come to the arena.”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know what he wanted her to say. “I was just doing my job, Mr. Shanahan. I was just doing what you told me to do.”

“Nah,” he shook his head, dismissing her words. “You were creative in your approach. You thought outside the box and you got it done. You made the virtually impossible, possible. Which, again, is more than I can say for all my other previous assistants.” He paused again. “You’ve got it in you, Aberdeen – the _creativity_. You’ll be able to show it one day.”

“I hope so, Mr. Shanahan.”

“Brendan,” he corrected her.

After everything that was revealed between them, she finally felt like they were on the same page. She let loose. “I hope so, Brendan.”


	13. Chapter 12

**December 15 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was trying to get into the biggest gated house she’d ever seen in her life. 

She’d taken an Uber up to the Bridle Path, the exclusive street in Toronto filled with massive mansions the size of her high school with their own private gates and tennis courts and and pools and indoor pools and indoor basketball courts and bowling alleys and wine cellars and all the other frivolous things rich people could build in their houses. She bet each one even had a heated driveway so that nobody in the house had to wake up at the crack of dawn to shovel. The Uber driver had already driven away, not even bothering to wait to see if she got in safely, so she hoped to be let in soon. 

“Name, please?” a loud voice asked through the intercom-or-whatever-it-was system these rich people had for their house. She bet they probably had cameras too and saw her impatiently waiting outside. 

“Aberdeen Bloom.”

“Abba-what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Aberdeen Bloom,” she enunciated more clearly. “Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant.” She was starting to get annoyed that she had to attach that caveat for anybody in the hockey world or the rich people world to take her seriously. 

The gate buzzed open, and Aberdeen walked quickly towards the front entrance, about the ring the doorbell before it opened magically for her. A butler. A butler opened the door for her and greeted her, offering to take her coat and letting her know she could keep her shoes on. There were waiters and waitresses carrying around plates of expensive looking hors d’oeuvres and others carrying around flutes of champagne. There was a giant, _giant_ Christmas tree in the – the foyer? The reception hall? What did rich people call these things? – decorated with expensive looking ornaments, ribbons, and what Aberdeen thought had to be Swarovski crystals. It had to be at least 15 or 20 feet high. It was a far cry from her family’s Christmas tree, which was decorated with all the homemade ornaments she, Siena, and Camden had made throughout their years in school. She almost felt like she was in the Eaton Centre. There were even boxes upon boxes of presents underneath it, all wrapped with the same wrapping paper and with giant nametags. Jolly Christmas carols were being played through some sort of speaker. 

She couldn’t believe rich people lived like this. She couldn’t believe she was in a house on the Bridle Path _with_ these rich people. What had her life become?

“Aberdeen!” she heard her name being called. She looked to her side to see Brendan approaching her, leaving his wife speaking to whoever they were speaking to for a quick second. “So nice to see you! You look lovely as always.”

“Oh, thanks Brendan.”

“Come with me,” he said, guiding her towards the people he was speaking to. “Aberdeen, I want you to meet Dani Reiss, whose house we’re in. Dani’s the CEO of Canada Goose. Dani, this is my executive assistant, Aberdeen Bloom.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Aberdeen,” he said as they shook hands. Aberdeen was hyperaware of his handshake and the fact that she was shaking hands with yet another billionaire. She truly, _truly_ couldn’t understand what her life had become. She wished Siena or Kasha were here to do all the talking. They were much better at it than she was, she thought. “How are you enjoying working for the Toronto Maple Leafs?”

Aberdeen chuckled nervously. She wondered if he really cared, but then remembered that they were having their Christmas party at his house, and he’d gone through all this trouble to keep them entertained, so he probably did. “Oh, it’s amazing! A bit hectic at times, but overall it’s been a great experience so far. Everyone’s just been so great and welcoming – you wouldn’t even know that I didn’t watch hockey before I got the job.”

That led to a chuckle amongst Brendan, Catherine, and Dani. “I bet a million people would kill for your job,” Dani commented through his laugh.

There it was again. That _thing_ everybody said to her when they learned what her job was. She’d heard it for months now, since her first day on the job, and it was becoming abundantly clear with each passing day that it was something many people coveted. “I know, sir. I’m very lucky to have it and to work with such an incredible team.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Brendan smile. Dani was already smiling at her. “Well Aberdeen, mi casa es su casa! Feel free to take a wander, grab some drinks, and enjoy the food!”

She thanked them as they left her there, walking towards another group with Leanne Hederson. Aberdeen walked further into the foyer where the giant Christmas tree was, admiring it for a moment before looking around to see if she could see anybody she recognized. She knew that, at this point, she could walk up to any member of the team or the administration and join in on their conversation, but the setting was slightly different than what she was used to (at the offices, of course) and it made her a bit nervous. 

“Brendan girl?”

Aberdeen visibly cringed. She looked to her side to see her absolute favourite person in the whole entire world, Ethan Baker, walking over to her with a drink in his hands. “Why are you here?”

She rolled her eyes at him. He did this at every event they attended, as if she wasn’t allowed to be there. “You constantly forget we work for the same team,” she said.

“Yeah, except one of our jobs is more important than the other,” he quipped. She felt like punching him right then and there until she remembered this was a Christmas party at a billionaire’s mansion and it was socially frowned upon to start fights at parties. “I didn’t know assistants were allowed to these things.”

“Peter’s here.”

“Doesn’t that mean you two should be helping the waiters?”

Aberdeen’s jaw dropped. “ _What_ is your problem?” she demanded. 

“Aw, come on, I’m just ribbing you.”

“You know, just because I got the job over you—”

“—Cause you look really hot in those pants, Brendan girl.”

She stopped. She was shocked at what he’d just said. It had to be because he was already drunk. She couldn’t think of another plausible expectation. She couldn’t believe how hot and cold he was at these sorts of events, remembering what he was like at the Major Donor Gala. “Besides,” she said through gritted teeth, “being a waiter isn’t something to be frowned upon. A lot of my friends waited their way through university.”

“And you didn’t be a waitress or hostess? With the way you look, you would have gotten really good tips.”

She felt like spiders were crawling underneath her skin. She thought back to that day where she let him get in her head – when he’d called her a piggy for warming up a burrito. “Are you trying to flirt with me? Because you’re failing miserably.”

“I’m trying to—”

“Aberdeen!”

She looked to her side to see an excited looking Bee McTavish making a beeline towards her. Bee somewhat-stared, somewhat-glared at Ethan as she hooked her arm with Aberdeen’s. “You don’t mind if I steal her, do you? A bunch of her friends are just over there,” she nodded her head towards a group that included Jason and Jennifer Spezza, Morgan, and John and Aryne Tavares. 

“I’m her friend,” Ethan quipped, smiling.

“I’m sure,” Bee nodded her head, grimacing every so slightly. “Have a good night,” she dismissed him before tugging on Aberdeen’s arm and leading her in the opposite direction. “God, that guy is such a skeeze,” she whispered to Aberdeen.

“Yeah.”

“Does he work here?”

“Tech and video playback,” Aberdeen informed her.

“Well, you’re with us now,” Bee smiled as she brought Aberdeen into the fold of the group. 

Aberdeen greeted and hugged everyone before noticing Will at the tail end. She gave him a quick hug and a – _God he smelled impeccable_ – and a cordial _‘Nice to see you!’_ before he settled into his usual William behaviour. “What do you think?” he asked.

She knew he was waiting for one of her famous retorts. She took another look at his look: blonde hair, navy blue up top and an actual pair of burnt orange pants. She wondered if his fashionable status edged on the side of completely insane. Everything was tailored to perfection, and nothing was wrinkled or anything like that, but she couldn’t get over the orange pants. “You look like Sailor Venus.”

Everybody burst out into laughter. Even William smiled from ear to ear. “Alright alright, very funny Aberdeen.”

“You know I’m right.”

The group talked about their Christmas plans. This was Aryne and John’s first Christmas with baby Jace, so it was going to be extremely special for them. Morgan’s parents and brother were flying in from Vancouver to spend time with him and Bee. It was also Jason and Jennifer’s first Christmas in Toronto with their four girls – even though Jason was from here – so that was another special event that they’d be hosting at their house. William would probably be Skyping with his family in Sweden, having his own version of a family Christmas. It was unfortunate that whatever plans the boys had with their families would have to be cut short slightly because they had a game in New Jersey on the 27th, and it was even more unfortunate that because of a game in Minnesota, they’d all be away from their families on New Year’s – Aberdeen included. It was the first time she would be out of Toronto for New Year’s, and not spending the night with her family or out with her friends. 

Jason and Jennifer ended up giving Aberdeen a tour of the parts of the house they’d already explored, with William following behind them somewhat lazily. She saw Ethan at one point and could feel him staring at her. There were a couple of different food stations, and she picked up some sushi and other appetizers on the way around. The house was expansive, and again, she couldn’t believe rich people lived like this. She could only imagine what the bedrooms looked like, or the basement, where she was sure there were ridiculous things like a bowling alley, or a 10,000 bottle wine cellar, or a home theatre. 

Dani Reiss ended up calling Jason and Jennifer over, so Aberdeen found herself alone with William. William seemed to enjoy the situation, as he always did – the smirk on his face revealing all – but when Aberdeen looked past him, she saw Ethan staring at her again, pretending to talk to his colleague who worked in tech and video playback. She bit her lip nervously. She knew she couldn’t let him get to her, but he already had once before and it almost cost her the job she had – the one he so desperately wanted. She couldn’t let him keep doing this to her. She needed to be strong. She needed to be— 

“ _Aberdeen_.”

William’s stern voice broke her out of her trance. “What?”

“Did you hear anything I just said about how nice you look?”

“N—N—Yeah…yeah yeah, thanks,” she said absent-mindedly. 

That wasn’t a normal reaction from her at all whenever he complimented her looks. Usually it was an eye-roll and a _‘stop it!_ ’. William discreetly looked over his shoulder to where she was looking. He saw Ethan look away once he caught him. He whipped his head back towards her. “Is he messing with you?” William asked, his voice low.

“What? No no,” Aberdeen shook her head quickly. “Don’t worry about it—”

“Aberdeen, if he’s messing with you, I’ll fucking kill him—”

“Will, _no_ ,” she stressed. “Just leave it alone.”

“Is he bothering you?”

“No.”

“What was he saying to you earlier?”

“Nothing,” she said. There was no way she was going to tell him. “Just…just stupid stuff. Work stuff. It was honestly nothing.”

“You’d tell me, right?” William said. He’d asked that question before. She couldn’t discern his tone of voice but by the way he was looking at her she knew he was dead serious and knew there was at least a hint of worry. “You’d tell me if he said something, right? If he made you feel uncomfortable? Because I’ve already tried to talk to Babs about it, and I know he’s gone now but I have no problem speaking to someone on your behalf if you’re too scared to.”

She felt like telling him. She really did. But she couldn’t – not now, at the Christmas party, and not ever, because it was something she needed to deal with on her own. Somehow, at least. She didn’t know _how_ she was going to deal with it, only that she _had_ to. So instead, Aberdeen shook her head. “It’s fine, Will. Don’t worry. And yes. I’d tell you.”

So it was a little white lie. Who _hadn’t_ told a little white lie in their life?

William visibly relaxed at her words. He finished his drink and placed it on the tray of a passing server. “You ready to go outside?”

“Out _side_?” Aberdeen looked at Will strangely. “It’s the middle of December. We’re staying _in_ side, thank you very much.”

“Nooooo no no no no,” he chuckled and shook his head. He went to grab her hand but then remembered where he was, pulling it back towards his body. “Come on. Come with me. You’re in for the surprise of your life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hey Aberdeen! Willy! You coming or what?” Jennifer Spezza called out as she waved them down from the sliding doors leading to the backyard. “Come on! It’s time to skate!”

Aberdeen threw William a confused look. “ _Skate_?”

They made their way towards the door, and when Aberdeen stepped through the threshold, she couldn’t believe what she saw: an entire skating rink – boards and everything – where she presumed Dani’s tennis court was, where some people were already skating. There were lights, people were laughing, and there was even a whole skate rental helping out. There were even fucking _portable heaters_. Again, she couldn’t believe rich people lived like this. She couldn’t believe that Dani would offer up his house, hire all the waiting staff, hire the catering staff, buy all those gifts, flood an entire portion of his backyard, and put up a skating rink so he could give the Maple Leafs a Christmas party. Those closer she walked to the rink with William, Jason, and Jennifer, the more she couldn’t believe it. 

“What size are you, miss?”

“Uh, I’m a seven in regular shoes…” she said, not knowing if that made a difference. The person turned around to look for skates, and Aberdeen turned towards William. “I’m…I’m not good at skating at all.”

“You don’t have to be,” he smiled. “You’ve got a team full of hockey players to help you along, minskatt.”

“No no. I’m not just, like, saying that to be cute or whatever,” she said. She needed to make that abundantly clear because she was sure she was going to make a complete ass of herself. “I’m _not_ good at skating. I don’t even know how to tie them up properly.”

“Again, you have a whole hockey team at your disposal,” William said with a giggle in his voice. When the skates were handed over, Jason took them before Aberdeen could. “You gonna lace her up?” William asked him.

“I’ve got it,” Jason nodded his head. “Aberdeen, go sit on the bench. And give me your right foot.”

Aberdeen felt powerless as she did as she was told. Jason shoved the skate onto her foot and kept it between his legs to tighten them and lace them up. Jennifer put on her own skates right beside her, and William was on her other side doing the same. “I feel like one of your children,” Aberdeen joked to them.

Jason smiled. “You’re practically the same age as Sophia.”

“Am not!” Aberdeen protested. “Sophia was born in 2010!”

“Yeah, and you’re born in 98. I’m born in 83. There’s fifteen years between you and I, but only twelve between you and Sophia,” Jason said.

“It’s practically the same thing!”

“No. You’re a baby,” Jason chuckled. “The both of you,” he nodded his head towards William, “are _babies_.”

Once her skates and helmet were fully on, and tight enough so her ankles weren’t moving so they wouldn’t snap in half, Aberdeen wobbled her way over towards the ice rink. She looked out onto the ice and saw Bee skating, screaming as she slipped and fell right into Frederik Andersen’s arms. The both of them laughed heartily as he held on to her like a knight in shining armour would catch his princess. Morgan called out to them in a joking manner, feigning disgust and annoyance.

“Aberdeen?” she heard William’s soft voice. Jason and Jennifer were already on the ice. She hadn’t even seen them get on. She had taken a while to psych herself up, apparently. “You okay?”

“I’m just being an idiot,” she shook her head, embarrassed.

“You’re not being an idiot, minskatt.”

“Says the guy who was in skates before he was in shoes with soles,” she tried to joke. “I work for a hockey team and I don’t even know how to skate well.”

Aberdeen watched as William extended his head. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll teach you.”

“Will—”

“Think of it this way,” he began. “If you fall and crack your head open, you’ll probably suffer memory loss and forget who I am.”

Aberdeen snorted and laughed out loud. She needed to hand it to William – he knew how to calm her down and diffuse any stress. “You’re the worst, Will,” she chuckled out.

“I know I am. Now come on.”

Aberdeen took his hand and stepped onto the ice gingerly. William pulled her away from the edge of the rink slowly. “Okay, bend your knees,” he began. “You can’t skate with tight legs.”

For an almost embarrassingly long time, William taught Aberdeen the basic ins and outs of skating. He was patient with her as he skated back and forth with her, pushing and pulling her along. He’d grab her if she tripped, wrapped his arms around her if she almost slipped and fell, and tried to make her laugh as much as possible. Jason would join in sometimes, holding her other hand as he and William pulled her along. Jennifer and Bee acted like her own personal cheerleaders. Eventually, she got the hang of it, able to skate around without having her hands out to balance her _and_ with the ability to turn along the edges. Morgan skated by and joked she was going to replace William on the line with John. The smile on her face and giggle in her voice could light up the night sky.

For William, it was the best part of the night by far.

***

Brendan was so happy that everybody was having fun; so happy to see the smiles on people’s faces as they skated around the rink, running into each other like bumper cars and taking group pictures. He loved seeing the comradery of his team outside the rink – the comradery of his entire organization outside of the offices. The Christmas party was a huge success, and he couldn’t be happier. 

As he leaned his forearms down against the boards outside the rink, he watched everybody having a good time. A few of the players skated by to have a quick chat. Auston came first, then Jason and Freddie Gauthier together. 

“What a great party!” William smiled as he skated up to him, looking out at everyone having fun on the ice. 

Brendan nodded his head. “We’re lucky Dani invited us and did all this for us. Much better than some stuffy dinner, I think.”

“Definitely,” William agreed, nodding his head. 

Brendan nodded his head too, following William’s line of sight. Aberdeen was posing with Bee McTavish, Aryne Tavares, and Courtney Muzzin. Brendan smiled. “Be careful, William.”

William’s brows furrowed at his words as he turned to look at him. “Sir?”

“She can’t do anything with you until she leaves,” Brendan said, standing upright. “ _And you can’t do anything with her_.”


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I created a Ko-Fi page in case you ever want to support my work / my writing: https://ko-fi.com/spine_buster .

**December 21 st, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was in a meeting.

Brendan was addressing the room, full of practically everybody who worked on the administrative side of the Leafs. Because it was just a few days until Christmas, he wanted to address everybody before the holiday to thank them for their hard work. It was also the day that Brendan decided to hand out the Christmas gifts for all the employees – a “swag bag” with a S’well bottle, candy and chocolate from Sugarfina, a coffee tumbler from Yeti, a Patagonia sweater with a Leafs embroider, and a Raptors toque. Aberdeen knew because she helped assemble them – literally and figuratively, because Brendan had asked for her opinion on a few of the inclusions. She was happy to see everybody loved the gifts.

As the meeting began to wind down, Brendan singled out some specific people who had earned a promotion. She was glad they were getting the recognition they deserved, because she knew how hard everyone worked. It was a great gesture, and a nice way to wind down the meeting – letting everybody leave on a good note—

“And my executive assistant, Aberdeen Bloom,” Brendan’s words completely caught her by surprise. She could feel a blush rush to her cheeks as many of the eyes in the room focused on her. “Just a couple of weeks ago, Aberdeen pulled off the nearly impossible – she managed to track down Niklas Lidstrom while he was in Toronto to get a signed Tre Kronor jersey from 2006 for our special guest, Colonel Richard Brant. But not only did she get the jersey – get this – she got Nik to come meet the colonel backstage.”

There was a round of applause for Aberdeen. Now she was _really_ embarrassed. There was no reason for him to single her out like this – like she told him, she was just doing her job. She smiled awkwardly at everyone. Even Brendan was clapping. When it died down, he continued. “So, even though she had a bit of a rough start – like everybody does when they first start with the Leafs – I’m so happy to see how much she’s grown and integrated herself into our family. So…great work, Aberdeen!”

Another round of applause. Aberdeen continued to smile awkwardly and even through in an awkward wave for good measure. Brendan said a few more words before the meeting ended, everybody filing out of the room patiently. When she approached him, as one of the last bodies to leave, she gave him a stern look. “How’d you like that?” Brendan asked.

“Please never, _ever_ do that again,” she said, giggling at the end.

“Why not?”

“Because I told you I was just doing my job.”

Brendan shrugged his shoulders. “And you did a damn good job of it, so everybody should know.”

As they walked back into his office together, she saw a perfectly wrapped box lying on his desk on top of all his newspapers and other things. It was very, _very_ rare that things were delivered directly to him – usually it went through her first, and Brendan had no problem with her opening his work mail because it was part of her job and all his personal stuff got sent to his house anyway – so it definitely piqued her interest. “What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s your gift.”

Aberdeen’s brows furrowed. “But I got my swag bag in the room.”

“I _know_ that, silly,” he smiled. “It’s _my_ gift to _you_.” Aberdeen stopped dead in her tracks, giving Brendan another look. “What?” he asked. “Are you seriously surprised? You think I wouldn’t get you something?”

“Sort of…” Aberdeen admitted. “But also…I was going to give you my gift to you on Monday. It’s underneath my desk,” she laughed.

Brendan let out a hearty chuckle. “Why’d _you_ get me a gift?”

“You’re my _boss_!”

“Go get it. We’re doing it now. I’ll be too busy with kids being everywhere on Monday.”

Aberdeen quickly made her way to her desk and retrieved the gift, hidden in her bottom drawer. It wasn’t large by any means, but she did put thought into it and she did have to enlist her mom for some help. When she went back into his office, he closed the door behind them. “It’s not much…” she began, comparing the size of the box on his desk to hers.

“You should be saving your money anyway,” he quipped.

Aberdeen sat in one of the chairs and handed him his gift across his desk. He unwrapped the Christmas wrapping paper to see something wrapped in tissue paper and a Prada box. Taking off the top of the Prada box, he was greeted with a blue and white patterned silk tie. He shook his head but smiled. “Aberdeen…”

“I had to get you something from Prada one of these days since you always send me there,” she smiled. 

“I love it. It’s very fashionable. What are the kids saying these days? It’s lit?”

“Please don’t.”

“It’s lit, Aberdeen. Thank you.”

“Thanks. Although I think you’ll like the other gift better,” she said.

Brendan placed the box with the tie on his desk and focused on what was wrapped in the tissue paper. When he unwrapped it, he saw that it was a card, made out of thick construction paper glued together. Along the front were the words “With Love from St. Leo”, and in the middle, a big maple leaf cut out and painted with multi-coloured fingerprints. When he opened it, the card had been signed by every student from her mom’s grade one class. A small message was printed out by her mom:

_Dear Mr. Shanahan,_

_We love the Toronto Maple Leafs and we love you! We heard you came to this school a long time ago. You and the Maple Leafs can come visit our class anytime you want and we can show you how well we read!_

_Love,_

_Mrs. Bloom’s grade 1 class_

Aberdeen watched as Brendan read over the card, looking at all the names printed, and his eyes glossed over with tears. He smiled. “Well would you look at that…” he mumbled, nodding his head slightly. He already knew he was going to display this forever in his office.

“She means it, by the way,” Aberdeen said, trying to lighten the mood. She didn’t think it would get him so emotional.

“Oh, I believe it,” he nodded again. “This is really, _really_ special to me Aberdeen. Thank you. I…it’s always nice to remember where you came from, you know? This will remind me,” his tone was so sincere. 

“You’re most welcome,” she smiled. 

Brendan moved to display it on his desk. He composed himself before picking up the box that started this whole thing and handing it to her. “For you,” he said. “Although I don’t know if it’ll top that card.”

She unwrapped the pretty ribbon and beautiful wrapping paper – clearly Catherine or one of his kids had helped, because for all the skills he had, she didn’t think he was capable of this wrapping on his own. As she tore it apart, a box with the embossed logo and lettering of Smythson London stared back at her. Aberdeen stopped. “You didn’t.”

Brendan only smiled at her.

She was already overwhelmed because she knew how expensive Smythson London notebooks were – the smallest, cheapest, and most basic notebook ran for around £40. But when she opened the box to find _three_ notebooks – two small navy blue Soho notebooks retailing at £195 each and a large gold Portobello notebook retailing at £235, each of them personalized with her initials which she knew cost even more – she felt even more overwhelmed. “Brendan…” she whispered, running her fingers over the embossed calf leather.

“I hear writers write in notebooks or something,” he joked once he saw the look on her face. “Anyway, I want you to have these. And when you get published and become super famous and they display all your notebooks in museums like they do with Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, I want to see one of those behind the glass.”

“I _hope_ I get published one day…” she said quietly, almost to herself. 

“You will,” Brendan said assuredly.

Aberdeen nodded. The material part of his assertion was nice – the notebooks – but what obviously meant more to her was the sentiment. Hearing his tone and the confidence in his voice meant that he believed in her. He wanted her to succeed. That meant more to her than anything. “Thank you, Brendan,” Aberdeen said in the same sincere tone he thanked her with earlier. “That means a lot to me.”

Brendan could only smile again. “I like to think I knew what I was doing when I hired you.”

“Was it all part of the Shanaplan?”

“Do _not_ ,” he giggled, shaking his head. He hated that term, and she knew it. “Go on. Get out of here. Go start your novel on your lunch break or something. Actually, before you do, can you go down to scouting and give them these for me please,” he said, handing her a stack of files.

She smiled. All was right and normal in the world again.

***

It was a few hours later when Aberdeen found herself in the staff kitchen, warming up a croissant she’d gotten earlier in the day from Starbucks as a snack before she and Brendan had to start preparing for the game against the Red Wings. She had a fresh batch of files from scouting in her arm for Brendan to look over as she stuck the croissant in the microwave. It was then that Ethan walked in, no snack in hand but instead wielding a tea packet. She ignored him. She wasn’t going to grace his presence with a greeting and, though it was probably a bit immature, she didn’t care. He’d said and done enough to her that she didn’t want to be the first one to engage at all. 

“Good afternoon,” Ethan half-mumbled, engaging first.

Aberdeen looked at him. “Hello,” she said curtly.

“Nice swag bags, huh?” he asked, trying to engage more. Aberdeen only nodded her head. “Did you put them together?”

“Of course I did.”

She hoped her short responses and tone were getting across that she didn’t want to speak to him, but Ethan couldn’t read a room to save his life, so he kept going. “You know, a lot of us were jealous in that meeting that Brendan was praising you so much,” he said. “We couldn’t believe you pulled that Lidstrom thing off.”

“Guess I’m surprising a lot of people lately,” Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders, setting the files down on the counter. He didn’t have to tell her people were jealous. She had a hunch that it was only _him_ who was jealous, and not anybody else in his department. “Especially _you_.”

“He must really like you to publicly praise you like that. He doesn’t do that often, you know.”

“Does that officially make me better at my job than you?” she asked cheekily. “You know, after you told me I can’t do the job at the Major Donor Gala.”

Ethan threw his head back at the fact that she brought that up again. He moved to stand behind her as she stuck her food in the microwave. “Abbie, come on. You know I rib you because I think you’re good at your job.”

Well _that_ was news to her, because for the last three and a half months, all he’d been doing was making her job a living hell and telling her how much she _couldn’t_ do her job. This complete 180 was out of the norm, even for _him_. “You’ve known me for three and a half months and you’ve consistently called me every name in the book besides my actual name,” she said, turning around to face him, bringing up the other thing that was annoying her about this whole interaction. “Don’t try to suck up to me now just because you know for a fact Brendan actually likes me.”

“Aberdeen, do you realize how cutthroat the hockey world really is?” Ethan began. It was at that moment that she realized how close he really was to her; how there wasn’t much room between the two counters of the galley kitchen anyway, but that he was closer to her than normal, than what anybody would consider normal, and it was starting to make her a bit nervous. “Do you realize how much backstabbing there is? How many people cross each other all the time just to get promoted or get ahead? If the little guys like us are going to survive in this industry, or any other industry adjacent to this one, we’re going to need to stick together.”

Aberdeen shook her head. “You’re trying to use me and it’s so blatantly obvious,” she said sternly, turning around so she wasn’t facing him anymore. She didn’t _want_ to face him anymore. “You can’t fool me, Ethan. Now get out.”

“C’mon, Abbie,” his voice was low, and extremely, _extremely_ close to her ear. She could practically feel him breathing down her neck.

Then she realized.

“Stop calling me that.” She tried to make her voice sound strong but it only came out weak as she felt his body pressing up against her back. Angry tears welled in her eyes as her emotions broke through. Her chest began to rise and drop from her heavy breaths.

“Abbie, the hockey world is full of favours that help people move up and excel at their job,” Ethan said.

And then she felt it. His hand on her ass. Her mind went into overdrive. She shifted and reached her elbow up and across to push it away, which she did, thankfully. “Get your hands off me,” she said as firmly as she could.

She turned around quickly so he couldn’t do it again. Her back leaned against the counter, and she saw he had taken a small step back, but they were still unnaturally close. “Abbie—”

“Get away from me,” she tried again.

“Just listen—”

“Is things okay in here?” a deep voice asked from the door way. Ethan took a quick step back further as the both of them looked to see Pierre Engvall standing in the doorway awkwardly, holding a protein shake. He seemed to be assessing the situation, but Aberdeen had no clue how long he had been standing there. She would have seen him, she thought, if he had been there long. 

“Pierre! Good to see you up here buddy!” Ethan put a smile on his face, walking over to him. Ethan left her standing at the kitchen counter, chest still heaving. “Feeling good being up with the Leafs?” he asked, switching his demeanour completely. Aberdeen felt sick to her stomach at how fast he could switch from doing what he was trying to do, to being so buddy-buddy with Pierre. 

“Is there a party going on in here?” another voice asked from out in the hall.

Aberdeen’s stomach dropped. Right then and there, William popped into the doorway. He looked between Ethan’s shit eating grin, Pierre’s serious stare, and Aberdeen’s face, red from trying to hold back her emotion as her chest still heaved. His brows furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine!” Ethan said quickly, shifting to get out of the room. He looked over his shoulder once more at Aberdeen, taking his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll email you what Brendan was asking for as soon as I get back,” he called out as he left the room, walking down the hall and disappearing up the staircase.

William was trying to piece everything together. He looked at Aberdeen. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” she said, forgetting about her lunch and gathering the files folders quickly and messily in her arms. 

“Aberdeen—”

“Just _leave me alone_!” she whispered harshly as she shoved past the two large hockey players.

William and Pierre watched as she marched down the hallway, disappearing into the staff washroom. When they couldn’t see her anymore, William looked at Pierre. “What happened?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” Pierre shook his head, trying to piece together and remember everything that he saw – at least the tail end that he saw – with all the visual, emotional, and verbal cues that just happened. “I…I walked in and he was really close to her and—and—you don’t think—”

William saw red. He didn’t even wait for Pierre to finish his thought or sentence – he started marching down the hallway to Brendan’s office. Pierre followed.

He was the eyes, after all.

*

Aberdeen didn’t know how long she was in the washroom for. She didn’t know how long she’d been crying but also trying to keep herself from _not_ crying and just making herself redder in the process. She couldn’t believe that had just happened to her…that Ethan would do something so awful and so heinous. It had happened to her at clubs before – a quick squeeze or a pat on her ass, unwanted grabs of her hips, or awkward leans ins to try to get a kiss – but in those instances, she was able to swat the boys away, scream at them or tell them off, or her friends would intervene and help. She didn’t do that this time, for some reason. She _couldn’t_ , maybe. Maybe because they were alone? Because she truly felt helpless? Because she really did feel like Ethan could get away with whatever he wanted – he _had_ been for the past few months with her alone, she couldn’t even imagine what he was doing to other people, specifically to other _women_ – so what was the point?

But as she kept thinking about it, she came to a conclusion: that she couldn’t let him ruin her life because she still had her whole life ahead of her. That even though she’d just become another statistic – another woman sexually harassed at work – it wasn’t her primary identifier, and she would never _let_ it identify her. She was so much more than that. She had to put it behind her and had to overcome. 

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red, but there was nothing she could do now. All she _could_ do was keep doing her job. And all she had to do was avoid Brendan until she looked normal again. She unlocked the door and stepped out, trying to walk inconspicuously down the hallway.

“ABERDEEN!” Brendan called out loudly from his office.

She stopped dead in her tracks in the hallway. She didn’t even have time to go hide from him, let alone breathe, because Brendan popped his head out the door of his office and looked around feverishly. When he saw her, he immediately noticed the redness in her eyes and cheeks. “Aberdeen, I need to speak to you inside my office,” his voice went ten times softer than what it was.

She was caught. She followed him in, trying to think of ways she could lie to him or make an excuse for why she had been crying. But when she walked in and saw Pierre and William standing in the room, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to get out of it. She sat down in the same chair she had been sitting in earlier in the day. It felt different now than it had then, when they were exchanging gifts. “Why were you crying in the bathroom?”

“I wasn’t crying.”

“Aberdeen—”

“I watched a sad video on YouTube and—”

“Aberdeen,” Brendan said firmly but calmly. He looked her straight in the eye. “Do. Not. Lie. To. Me.”

She took a deep breath. She looked at Pierre, who had a sympathetic and extremely worried look on his face. She looked at William, who looked ready to explode right then and there. “Umm…there…there was an incident—”

“An incident?”

“In the staff kitchen.”

“With who?” Brendan asked. “Was it with Pierre or William?”

“ _No_. _God, no_ ,” she shook her head vehemently. “It, um…it was…I don’t…I don’t—”

“Was it with Ethan Baker?” Brendan filled in her stutters. He could see how pained she was. His hands gripped the armrests of his chair. Aberdeen couldn’t look him in the eye. She nodded her head once, bringing her hand up to wipe a tear away. “If we check the cameras will we see that he touched you inappropriately?” Brendan asked again. Clearly William and Pierre had told him what they thought happened.

Aberdeen couldn’t – didn’t – even register that Brendan mentioned cameras, that the entire thing was probably caught on a camera. She couldn’t form words. She could only nod her head. Slightly, too. Not even enthusiastically. Pathetically. 

Brendan didn’t say another word. He picked up the phone on his desk and called an extension. “I need Gary to share the last hour of the security footage from the staff kitchen _right this instant_.”

Aberdeen shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A few more words were exchanged before Brendan hung up the phone. “You’re going to tell me what happened,” he said, before spinning his chair slightly to face Pierre and William. “And then _you_ are going to tell me what you saw,” he pointed towards Pierre, who followed Brendan’s finger and sat to the left of Aberdeen, “and then _you_ are going to tell me what you saw,” he pointed towards William, who sat to the right of her.

Aberdeen recalled everything: walking in, the conversation they’d had, the things Ethan had said to her, where he moved and how he got there and the feeling of how close he was behind her. Brendan wrote everything down. When she recounted how she felt his hand on her ass, Brendan and Pierre visibly scowled. William looked like he was about to punch a hole in the wall. When she mentioned Pierre in the doorway, Brendan stopped her and let Pierre take over. Pierre told her what he saw – he’d come in at the last possible second of seeing Ethan’s hand on her ass before she pushed it away. When it was William’s turn, he mentioned how upset Aberdeen was and how she looked ready to cry. A notification sound came through on Brendan’s iPad and she knew it was the video footage.

“Aberdeen…” Brendan tried to say softly, though he was saying it through gritted teeth. “Have there been any other incidents like this one?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Has he even been inappropriate or demeaning in any other way?”

And there it was: the million dollar question. She remembered everything Ethan had done to her and everything he’d said; she was hyperaware of his presence around her at all times since her first day of work, so she felt like she _had_ to remember everything. In her hesitation, she made eye contact with William. The way he was staring at her, it was like he was _begging_ her to say something. But William. Poor William. He only knew about the bag incident because he had intervened. Now the floodgates were about to open. “Yes…” Aberdeen nodded her head, taking a deep breath. 

“What were they?”

Aberdeen reminded Brendan of the coffee incident from her first day, but then recalled the long list of others: the bag carrying incident where William stepped in; the “Girl Friday” and “Brendan girl” nicknames he’d given her; the slightly inappropriate flirting at the Major Donor Gala and the things he’d said to her when she didn’t reciprocate; the comments he’d made to her at the Christmas party. Brendan kept writing everything down. The more she told, the angrier his scribbles got and the harder he pressed down onto the paper. The more she told, the more William looked like he was about to rip Brendan’s massive solid oak desk in two with his bare hands like Captain America did with that log.

“Anything else?” Brendan asked.

Aberdeen hesitated. “Um…no.”

“ _Aberdeen_.”

She could feel William look at her as she looked down to avoid any eyes on her. “There was um…there was an incident where I was in the staff kitchen heating up a snack wrap, and he asked if I should really be eating it because nobody likes a _piggy_ working for a hockey team.”

Time stood still as Brendan, Pierre, and William looked at her, completely and utterly speechless at the words that had just come out of her mouth. She tried to fixate her eyes on something in the room, but she landed on William’s balled up fist in his lap, his knuckles white from how much anger he felt. It took Brendan reaching over to his phone and dialling another extension for any semblance of time to pass. “Can you let Ethan Baker know he needs to come into my office in ten minutes? Thanks.”

Aberdeen knew what that meant. “Brendan—”

“ _Don’t_ Aberdeen,” he grabbed his iPad and swiped to his mail to get the security footage. Everything that Aberdeen had said, what Pierre had said, what Willy said – it was all corroborated by the video. Ethan wouldn’t be able to get out of it no matter how hard he tried; no matter what charms he tried to pull on Brendan. Not that Brendan would fall for them. “He’s never working another day in his life for any professional sports organization,” Brendan mumbled. “And I’ll make sure of that.”

Aberdeen was shocked. “That’s—that’s ruining his life—”

“You’re right – _I am_ the one ruining his life,” Brendan said sternly, lifting any feelings of burden off of her immediately. 

“And he deserves to have it ruined,” William piped up, his tone scathing. Pierre nodded in agreement.

“You two can go back to the locker room and do what you need to do to prepare for the game tonight,” he said to Pierre and William. Pierre got up first, and had to wait for William, who didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t until Brendan urged him with a slight head nod that he got up out of his seat. Brendan waited until they left completely to continue. “You can go home, Aberdeen. If you want to take the Next Gen day off I won’t mind at all—”

“I don’t want to.”

Brendan stopped. “You what?”

“I don’t want to go home and I don’t want to take the Next Gen day off. Just let me do my job,” she said.

“Aberdeen, I really think—”

“If I go home all I’m going to do is wallow in this feeling. All I’m going to do is think about it over and over again until I cry some more. I don’t want to let him get to me more than he already has. Just…just let me do my job. _Please_.”

***

William booked it out of Scotiabank Arena the second he was able to. Despite the team winning 4-1 against the Red Wings, William’s mind was somewhere else. He was able to keep focused, sure, and make plays and complete passes, but there were other things that occupied his mind. He didn’t even change into his suit – after showers and media, he left in his workout gear. There was no point in suiting up. He knew exactly the places he needed to go and exactly what he needed to do. 

When he got to the lobby of Aberdeen’s apartment, he typed Kasha’s name into the call system and waited to hear one of their voices to let him in. However, there was no voice – only an acceptance of the call, and a click of the door opening. He rushed towards the elevators. He remembered the floor number easily. 

The door was already slightly open. When William showed up in the doorway there were three people in the apartment, and luckily, none of them were members of Aberdeen’s family. He didn’t take her as the type to have her parents talk her through a crisis like this one – she was too independent and maybe a bit too stubborn for that – but he knew she’d already called Siena about it. It was what he would do with his brother. Aberdeen had already washed all her makeup off and had her hair in a bun, and was standing in a hoodie and pyjama shorts as she cradled Minerva in her arms. He recognized one of the people as Kasha, but had no idea who the guy was.

Kasha was the first to see him. Her eyes widened when she recognized him. “William?”

Everybody’s eyes turned to him. Aberdeen’s were bulging out of their sockets in shock. He saw that they were red – that she’d been crying again, probably recounting everything to Kasha once she got home. “Hey,” he said.

There was an awkward silence as they all stared at him. Kasha noticed that William was shifting his focus between Evan and Aberdeen and knew she had to be the one to break it. “Will, this is my boyfriend Evan. Evan, uh, this is William Nylander. Aberdeen’s…uh…work colleague.”

Evan moved to shake William’s hand politely. “You guys work together?” he asked, his voice upbeat. “Are you another assistant with MLSE?”

Kasha intervened before anybody else could. “Evan, William’s a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Evan’s eyes widened at the revelation. It began to sink in to him how… _interesting_ it was to have a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the apartment of his girlfriend. “Ooooooooh, okay,” he nodded slowly. “Sorry. I don’t watch hockey.”

“It’s probably better that way,” William quipped.

“I…that was you calling?” Kasha asked. William nodded his head. “I thought you were the Uber Eats we ordered.”

“I’m not Uber Eats but I brought Sugo for…uh…” he held up the bag.

“Sugo’s been closed for like, two hours…” Kasha furrowed her brows.

“They’re not when you’re…me,” William said. He stared directly at Aberdeen. “Can we talk?”

Aberdeen stayed silent. She looked at Kasha and Evan first. Kasha held her hands up in front of her. “Don’t look at me. He’s your friend.”

“Kasha—”

“I don’t mind him being here at all,” she said, knowing what the question would be. If she had to push them together herself, she would. “And you know I’m not going to say a word. He won’t say anything either,” she nodded towards Evan. “If you guys need to talk, then _talk_. Evan and I will be in my room.”

“We will?” Evan asked as Kasha yanked his arm. “We will. Nice to meet you Will,” he said as he was dragged towards Kasha’s bedroom, the door slamming behind them.

Aberdeen and William looked at each other. She’d barely moved since he walked in the door. She knew with every fibre of her being that he wasn’t supposed to be here, but she couldn’t help but feel… _solace? relief? gratitude?_ as he stood there with his blonde hair and blue eyes and that dumb but cute look on his face. “I got some pasta and their giant meatballs,” he said softly, setting the bag down on the counter.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice a bit strained.

“What do you _think_ I’m doing here, minskatt?” he asked. “I needed to see if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” she tried to brush him off.

“Aberdeen…” he said softly. “I’m trying to be here for you. Will you let me?”

His words sounded so soft and so sincere that it almost broke her. There was no way she could say no, no way that she could ask him to leave and deny him. After everything that they’d been through, after everything he’d ever said to her, the hotel room visits, _everything_ – she couldn’t deny him this. He wanted to be there for her, and she was going to let him. She swallowed the sob that threatened to escape her. “Plate that pasta and bring it to my room,” she said quietly.

William’s eyes bulged in shock for a split second before he began moving around the kitchen trying to find an appropriate plate. He kicked off his shoes before grabbing a fork and walking into her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him. He looked around, and it was just as he remembered it. It had been a while, but the events of that night in June still played over and over in his mind. If he thought about it hard enough, he could imagine the feeling of her bare skin underneath his fingertips. 

He found her sitting on her daybed, Minerva lying on her legs and her laptop on her desk chair that was placed at the edge of her bed like a TV stand. He handed her the plate full of pasta and meatballs before climbing into bed beside her, sitting right next to her so their bodies were touching. “He deserved what he got, you know. After that piggy story I wanted to go to his office and strangle him with my bare hands.”

She nodded her head softly. “I know. I got that from seeing how white your knuckles were in your lap.”

“Do you want to know how Brendan did it?” he asked. She didn’t respond, so he just went for it. “He called Ethan into his office and he asked him what his dream hockey organizations were to work for. As Ethan said them, Brendan wrote them down. Then Brendan showed him the video, and in front of Ethan, called the president or GM of the teams he mentioned and blacklisted him. He told them never to hire him because he was a sexual harasser.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what to think. She knew William didn’t tell her that to get a reaction out of her, and she knew he wasn’t expecting one either. It was harsh, _very_ harsh. Ethan’s career in the sports industry was ruined, that was for sure. It was a fitting end to a guy who was such a dick. And more than anything, she realized one important thing: Brendan cared about her. He cared about her so much he’d ruin another man’s career for harming hers. “Good,” she mumbled. 

“Why didn’t you tell me any of that was going on?” he asked. “You promised me you’d tell me, Aberdeen, and you broke that promise.”

She shook her head. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She knew she should have said something earlier, but she was the lowest person on the metaphorical totem pole, and she didn’t think it was worth William’s time or effort. “Please don’t.”

“I could have helped you, Aberdeen—”

“William, _please_ ,” her tone was strained, her voice begging. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to keep reliving it. I just want to sit here _with you_ and eat this giant plate of pasta with these giant meatballs, okay? _Please_.”

William looked at her for a few moments, directly into her eyes, before he nodded his head. It was all he could do. He didn’t want to make her relive it any more than she had to. And, quite frankly, he didn’t want to have to think about it, because thinking about what Ethan did to her made his blood boil and made him want to search every street and apartment in the city for Ethan so he could punch him. She’d let her guard down, however minimally, and said she wanted to sit there _with him_. If him sitting next to Aberdeen was going to make her feel okay, he was going to do just that. If just being there, physically, was enough for her, then it was enough for him. “What are we watching?”

“The Real Housewives of New York City.”

He smiled. “Alright. Real Housewives it is.”

With Minerva sleeping on her legs, Aberdeen downed the plate of pasta. William couldn’t really keep up with the show, with all its drama and all the ladies gossiping over events he had no clue about, but that didn’t really matter. All he was really focused on was Aberdeen. And as her body language softened the more she worked through the giant plate of pasta, the more comfortable she became. When she was done, she leaned forward and put the plate on her dresser. She’d deal with it later. 

When she curled her arm underneath his, he rested his hand on her legs and she leaned her head onto his bicep. Their bodies couldn’t be any closer, and now they were starting to intertwine. It wasn’t long before her breathing steadied, and when the screen went dark during a scene, William could see through the reflection that she was sleeping peacefully against him. He closed the laptop with his foot. 

He moved to lie her down in her bed. The disruption in position made her grumble slightly, though she was still latched on to his arm. “Willy?” she mumbled out.

The use of his nickname that everyone else called him but she never did until now brought a small smile to his face. “Minskatt?”

She didn’t say anything else, but she made it clear she didn’t want to let him go. And she showed it by grabbing onto him tighter. When he lay down in her tiny bed with her – seriously, it was _tiny_ and there was barely enough room for his body, let alone both of theirs – she closed her eyes again. Comfortable. Safe. Protected. 

William closed his eyes too, letting his feelings of serenity overwhelm him.

***

Aberdeen woke up with the sun, which she was mad about because she had the day off and wanted to sleep in until it was an acceptable time to have brunch. Her body still felt fatigued from yesterday, but her mind – even her mind still felt tired, like she’d barely gotten any sleep. She saw Minerva curled up at William’s feet and smiled.

William.

_William_.

William was in bed with her.

The events of the night before came back to her – him showing up at the apartment with takeout Sugo; eating the giant plate of pasta and meatballs all on her own; sitting on her bed and watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey; resting her head on his arm until she fell asleep. He’d stayed the night. For the second time in one month, she’d shared a bed with William. The first time, they’d stayed on their respective sides because the bed was big enough – it was respectful and innocent, but she had still kicked him out in the early morning in complete fear. But now, there was no respective sides. She felt his hand underneath her hoodie on her bare skin. She felt his body pressed up against hers, holding her delicately. She felt his chest rising and falling softly. But mostly, she felt the grip of his hand holding hers, cradling it near his chest.

For the first time, she didn’t mind. And she didn’t pull away.


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick reminder that I’ve set up a Ko-Fi incase you want to support my writing –> ko-fi.com/spine_buster . Enjoy!

**December 25 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was celebrating Christmas.

Siena was home from Ottawa, having finished another semester of law school. Camden was the first one up, naturally, screaming at everybody that it was time to open presents. The family had been to Midnight Mass the night before, a tradition Orla had the family do every Christmas since they were young. After opening presents, everybody would shower and help her make the day’s big lunch before passing out in food and wine comas all over the house. If all went well, Gramma Frances and Grampa Alistair would call and they’d all say hi in a short FaceTime.

“Get up! Get up! Get up!” Camden could be heard screaming from the hallway, his footsteps getting louder and louder. “It’s time to open presents!”

“If he comes in here I’m gonna scream at him,” Siena mumbled into her pillow. Aberdeen laughed from her side of the room. 

“Siena! Aberdeen!”

“We’re coming!” Aberdeen yelled, not bothering to move. 

“Hey mom! Can I finally try coffee?!” their little brother wouldn’t shut up.

The girls snorted, with Siena groaning as she stretched in her bed, unable to fall back asleep. Eventually they got up and got ready, their little brother’s screams getting too annoying to ignore. “He’s getting more annoying as he gets older,” Siena said playfully, running a brush through her hair. 

“Yeah,” Aberdeen agreed, “but at least he doesn’t jump into mom and dad’s bed like we did.”

“Remember that time you almost punctured dad’s lung?”

Aberdeen snorted. “Remember that time you almost broke mom’s nose?”

“Maybe we should do it again for good measure.”

The girls finally emerged from their room, finding Orla in the kitchen pouring coffee. Camden was dragging Mirza out of his room, Mirza playfully pulling him back in so Camden would slide on the floor. The family hugged each other before Aberdeen opened a cupboard to get the Chips Ahoy cookies. Camden snatched one right from her hands. She chased him around the house.

Opening presents was always fun. This year, Aberdeen was able to ask around the office for something for Camden, and she ended up with a Kyle Lowry Raptors jersey. When he opened it, he automatically loved it and hugged it like he was five and it was his favourite new toy. Aberdeen’s parents gifted her practical things – a chic new laundry basket and a nice throw she could use when she cuddled with Minerva and a bag of Doritos, and Siena bought her two new books she’d wanted to read. To his credit, even Camden’s gift was cute: a mug that said, “Cat hair, don’t care” in fancy lettering. 

Once the gift giving was over and the family room cleaned of all the wrapping paper, everybody started to get ready. Orla began seasoning the roast beef and Mirza began preparing the potatoes. The kids showered and got ready so they’d look nice for photos and for their eventual FaceTime with their grandparents. Siena stayed on the main floor to begin whipping up the trifle. Aberdeen brought Camden to the downstairs kitchen with her to help with seasoning and roasting the Brussel sprouts and carrots. 

“So what are the Maple Leafs doing today?” Camden made conversation as Aberdeen sliced the carrots and he laid them in their tray. 

“Which ones?” she asked. “It’s not like they’re spending it together as a team. They’re all spending it with their families.”

“What’s John Tavares doing?” he asked. Camden knew much more about sports than she did. He found it genuinely cool that his sister was working for the Toronto Maple Leafs, even though he liked the Raptors a little bit more. When she told him how she sat with Masai Ujiri at the Major Donor Gala, he freaked out and bragged to all his friends. He was officially one of the coolest kids in school.

“Well, John and his wife Aryne just had a new baby in September, so this is their first Christmas with him. I think they’re spending it at John’s house with both their families there,” Aberdeen explained.

“What about Auston Matthews?”

“Auston’s entire family came up from Arizona – they’re having a big family lunch like we are.”

“What about Mitch Marner?”

Aberdeen smiled. “Mitch is spending it with his family, his girlfriend Stephanie, and his dog Zeus.”

“His dog?!” Camden’s face lit up. “Mom and dad won’t let me get a dog yet. They say I’m still too young.”

“Just wait,” Aberdeen encouraged him. “Mom will eventually want to replace me and Siena with a dog, and dad will be too powerless to say no.”

“You think so?”

“Mhm. What kind of breed do you want?”

“I want a German shepherd.”

Aberdeen laughed at her brother. He always dreamed big, which was good for a kid his age, but a German shepherd would be bigger than him. There was no way he’d be able to handle it out on walks. “Aim smaller. What about a corgi?”

“That’s _your_ dream dog cause of their butts,” Camden furrowed his brows. “If mom won’t let me get a German shepherd then I think I want a goldendoodle. Greg at school has one and it’s really cute.”

“Why don’t you just get a regular poodle and cut its hair really weird like that lady in 101 Dalmatians?”

Camden started to laugh as Aberdeen sliced the last of the carrots. She made sure they were all lined up nicely before starting on the Brussel sprouts. “We can shave the Toronto Maple Leafs logo into its hair.”

“Exactly!”

“Then it can become the team dog!” Camden giggled, liking the idea already. 

Aberdeen and Camden stayed in the basement kitchen for almost an hour – enough time so that all the carrots and Brussel sprouts were sufficiently roasted and seasoned properly as Orla taught them. When the carrots were ready to be brought upstairs, Aberdeen made Camden put on oven mitts and told him to grab the dish. “Go run these up to mom,” Aberdeen said. “And absolutely _no_ funny business. If these fall on the floor nobody in this family will forgive you.”

Camden did as he was told, going up the stairs slowly. Aberdeen stayed down for another ten minutes, waiting for the Brussel sprouts to finish before putting on her own pair of oven mitts and bringing the plate upstairs. By then, the roast in the oven smelled impeccably delicious and Aberdeen could already see most of the food on the table as she rounded the corner. Before she could move any further, Siena came through and blocked her passage and sightline towards the front of the house, a look of panic on her face. “Ab—Aberdeen,” she was staring at Aberdeen wide-eyed, like she’d just seen a ghost.

“What? What’s going on?” Aberdeen whispered.

“Hey.”

Aberdeen knew that voice. She knew that voice anywhere. She’d be able to recognize it from miles away. It was the voice that tortured and soothed her all at once. What was it doing _here_? _In her house?_ Her head turned quickly like she was in _The Exorcist_. 

And there he was.

William Nylander. Standing in the middle of the family room. _Her_ family room.

With her _mother_.

Aberdeen was going to pass out.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, almost dropping the plate of Brussel sprouts at her feet. What was he doing here? _What_ was he doing here? How the fuck did he even find out where she lived – where her _family_ lived? And why did he have a glass of water in his hands? How long had he _been_ here for him to have been offered a glass of water? Why didn’t she hear the doorbell? Why didn’t she hear a knock? Why hadn’t her parents called down to her in the basement to let her know he showed up _unannounced_ to their Christmas Day family celebrations and why didn’t they—

“Aberdeen!” her mother scolded her as she walked towards her. “I know he’s a little early but that’s no way to treat the guest you invited.”

Aberdeen glared at William and then glared at her mother. She was almost rendered speechless by William’s stupid grin on his face. “I did _not_ invite William to Christm--”

“Aberdeen, please, the Brussel sprouts,” her mother wasn’t having it, walking towards her and grabbing the plate from her hands, only to put it on the table.

Aberdeen looked at William, dressed in a nice pair of navy blue slacks and a fitted grey Ralph Lauren sweater with a collared shirt underneath. He definitely looked the part of innocent-hockey-player-come-to-spend-Christmas-with-a-welcoming-Canadian-family, but he wasn’t fooling her. Aberdeen looked back to see her mother disappear into the kitchen again. Siena was already gone, too. Good, it made it safe for her to cuss him out. 

“How do I look?” he asked, waiting for one of her famous retorts.

He wasn’t going to get one. Not this time. He looked too wholesome, but more than that, he didn’t _deserve_ one for crashing her family Christmas. “Seriously, _what_ are you doing here?” she hissed as she stepped forward so she could get closer to him. 

“Better than spending Christmas alone,” he shrugged his shoulders, the playful grin still on his face. 

“I thought you were Skyping with your family,” she said, immediately regretting it. She knew Skyping was nowhere near close to spending actual time, physically, with your family on one of the most important holidays of the year.

“I already did, while I was having breakfast and they were having lunch. Six hour time difference,” he said. 

“Will, I’m serious, _what_ are you—”

“I thought you’d need a friend here after everything that happened,” he said quickly, his tone serious. His blue eyes looked into hers and every ounce of anger and shock in her dissipated. “I figured you probably haven’t told your parents, and definitely not your brother, but I know you told Siena, and I just thought it would be nice for you to have a friendly face around beside your sister that…I don’t know…might make Christmas more fun.”

He knew her. He knew he _so_ well that she almost hated it, but mostly found it so admirable and so damn… _cute_. He knew that she’d only tell Siena because Siena was the person she was the closest to in the world, and he knew she wouldn’t tell her parents because…well, because they didn’t need to know their daughter got sexually harassed at work. She didn’t know what she was feeling right now. “How do you even know where my parents live?”

That trademark grin came back. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Aberdeen! You didn’t tell me William Nylander was coming for Christmas!” Camden’s voice rang from behind her. She turned around to see her brother with his arms crossed playfully around his chest. “Would have been _nice_ , you know.”

“I guess I forgot,” she said absent-mindedly. She couldn’t believe this was happening right now. She couldn’t believe William was at her house for Christmas; that he was going to be spending Christmas with her family because, well, it wasn’t like she could kick him out onto the street now. 

“Did you see I brought a dessert?” William said, his voice upbeat as he looked at Camden. “I picked up some treats from a Swedish bakery in downtown Toronto.”

Camden’s eyes lit up at the words. “Double dessert!” he screamed. “Siena made a trifle! You’ll like it. It’s got strawberries in it.”

“Alright! Everyone to the table!” Orla’s voice boomed throughout the house. “Is the wine on the table? Are there drinks?”

“Does everybody have a spot?” William whispered to Camden.

Camden nodded his head quickly before pushing William to the opposite side of the table. “Mom sits at the head,” he pointed, “Siena sits there, dad sits there, I sit at the other head, and then Aberdeen sits here.”

“So I guess I’m sitting—”

“Right here,” Camden took out the chair for him. 

William took his seat. Aberdeen slipped into her seat beside him, still staring at him like he wasn’t real. Siena took her seat, then Mirza. Camden last. Then Orla brought in the roast, smelling absolutely delectable. William’s eyes widened at how good it looked. Everybody brought their plates forward and she put a few slices of the carved meat and gravy onto everyone’s plates – only then did the other dishes get passed around to fill up their plates: the Yorkshire puddings, the roasted potatoes, the Brussel sprouts, and the carrots. 

“Are you Catholic, William?” Orla asked as she sat down at her seat. 

“No ma’am.”

“Well, Christmas and Easter are the only two days of the year that we pray before our meal,” she informed him. “So, congratulations. Camden, why don’t you say a Hail Mary.” William watched as everybody around the table except Mirza did the sign of the cross, though Mirza did bow his head in respect. William quickly followed with his own sign of the cross. He listened as Camden recited a Hail Mary. When he was done, Orla spoke up again. “Lord, we would like to thank you for bringing us together to celebrate your birth, and we would like to thank you for bringing us William today to celebrate with our family. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone said.

“Hallelujah!” Camden exclaimed, grabbing his fork. Everyone else did too, while Mirza stood up to start pouring the wine in everyone’s glasses, save for Camden. 

“So you mentioned your family is in Sweden, William?” Orla asked, slicing her roast beef in pieces. “Whereabouts?”

“Most of my family is there, right in Stockholm. But I have a brother living in Chicago who also plays hockey. My sister Jacqueline is also in Texas at SMU playing tennis, but she was able to get home for Christmas,” he explained.

“And where’s your brother in Chicago going?”

“He has a teammate and his family. He lives in their basement,” William smiled. 

“Orla has a habit of wanting to feed the entire congregation, if you know what I mean,” Mirza smiled from across the table. “Clearly Aberdeen knew, since she invited you.”

Aberdeen wanted to say that she didn’t, that he was hear because he somehow found their address and wanted to make her life a complete circus, but she decided against it. It was Christmas, after all. “Yeah, well when Aberdeen offered, I thought it was so nice, but I didn’t want to intrude,” William said from beside her. She could have killed him right then and there.

“Intruding? What are you intruding on? The more the merrier. And God knows I make enough roast,” Orla commented. “Besides, it’s not the first time Aberdeen’s brought something home and said _‘Surprise!’_.”

“We all love Minerva and she is a _great_ cat,” Aberdeen said firmly before anyone else could say anything. 

Conversation flowed nicely. William was a natural, Aberdeen thought, and she chalked it all up to his endearing charm – his best quality. Well, at least to Aberdeen. It was what attracted her to him in the first place. That and the fact that he was so persistent. But everybody seemed to take a liking to him, and despite being the only person at the table who knew what had happened between them, Siena was surprisingly calm, warm, and chatty. Camden was an everyday 11 year old, asking William about the Leafs and if he’d met any Raptors and what playing hockey was like. He made them smile. He made them laugh. He made them love him. It was all so sickeningly sweet.

Camden cleared the dishes and Aberdeen cleared the food platters and Orla and Siena fetched the desserts. Mirza stayed to keep William company at the table. Aberdeen watched as Orla scooped all the remaining leftovers into a Tupperware – Aberdeen knew she’d give it to William when he left, and now she was stuck thinking about how William was going to return one of her Tupperwares without anybody on the team or in the offices knowing. It sent her head for a bit of a spin until Camden almost knocked her out with a swinging fridge door. “Camden, get the dessert plates on the counter,” she ordered, and he did as he was told. She got the trifle out of the fridge.

“Show him mine! I was so much cuter!” she heard Camden exclaim from the dining room. _What was he on about now?_

Aberdeen turned the corner. And then she saw it.

William Nylander. Sitting at the dining room table with her father.

Looking through her baby book.

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “ _Dad!!!_ ” she exclaimed.

William looked up at her, the biggest, goofiest, most sincere smile on his face. “You were a _cute_ baby, Aberdeen.”

She was mortified. She thought about walking outside and freezing to death because that would be a better option than what was happening in front of her. She set the trifle down on the table loudly, her jaw on the floor. “Dad, come on!” she complained. “I _work_ with William! He doesn’t have to see my _baby_ pictures!”

“Well _excuse me_ for wanting to show off my two darling daughters,” Mirza waved off her complaint. “Besides, I can’t say no when a guest wants to see.”

Aberdeen glared at William, who still had that smile on his face. “Oh, you’re gonna get it when we’re back at the arena.”

“Am I?” he taunted her.

“Look! Look here! Siena at four, Aberdeen at two,” Mirza diffused the situation, pointing to a new picture on the page. “We sent copies of this one to Orla’s parents in Derry. They had it up for _years_.”

Aberdeen knew exactly which picture Mirza was talking about. She and her sister were photographed by a professional photographer, with Siena wearing a frilly yellow dress and Aberdeen wearing a pink one, equally as frilly. They were both smiling at the camera while sitting on some sort of box, and both wearing small, dainty necklaces. They _were_ adorable, but William didn’t need to know that. “These are evil eyes, right?” he said, pointing to the necklaces they were wearing in the photo, a small smile on his face.

“We say nazar. It _protects_ from the evil eye,” Mirza nodded his head. “They’re very popular in Iran.”

“What made you come to Canada?” William asked.

“The revolution, mostly,” Mirza said. “I was fourteen. My parents didn’t want me to stay so they changed my name and I escaped the country. It wasn’t safe for me anymore. I went to Syria first – to Aleppo – and had all my documents processed there to become a refugee. I came to Canada when I was eighteen in 1984.”

William was quiet and had a solemn look on his face as he listened to Mirza. It was so unlike any other story he’d heard before, in terms of people’s parents at least. He grew up with a lot of _“My dad played in the NHL”_ or _“My dad works in hockey”_ – never _“My dad escaped a revolution”_. It was very new to him, and he almost felt ashamed at the lack of diverse stories his friends, acquaintances, and all the kids he grew up with had in comparison to this. “And you chose Canada?”

“Canada chose me, I think,” Mirza smiled. “Look at these pictures here,” he said, flipping to the back of the photo album. When he reached the page, he showed William, and Aberdeen already knew what it was: the few pictures he had of himself growing up in Iran with his parents, some photos of him in Aleppo, and the first photos of him in Canada. “That one was the year before I left Iran,” he said, pointing to one, “and this one…the month I arrived in Canada.”

William smiled. He looked up at Aberdeen, who was already expecting his reaction. “Sugo hat outfit,” he said, like it was a code language. “Holy hell. You weren’t kidding, Aberdeen.”

“Told you.”

“Sugo hat outfit?” Mirza asked.

“It’s nothing, dad. William just has an interesting fashion sense. Very European.”

Mirza shrugged, letting it go. “Canada led me to Orla. Led me to have this,” he motioned around at his house, “led me to my job, led me to be a father,” he nodded towards Aberdeen. “Canada has been very nice to Orla and I, because even she had her troubles. Literally.”

“Troubles?”

“Orla grew up in Belfast and Derry during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. There was religious violence all around her growing up. Catholics versus Protestants,” he explained. “She came to Canada to escape it, too, in 1988. And it brought us together. We met in 1993 at our citizenship ceremony, married in 1995, and had Siena in 1996.”

William couldn’t help but smile. Meeting your future spouse at your citizenship ceremony as you swore an oath as a new citizen of Canada? “That’s the most Canadian thing I’ve ever heard,” he giggled.

“I know!” Mirza smiled along with him. “Orla married the mailman – I mean _literally_ married the mailman. You should have heard all the jokes we got from her friends when she got pregnant with Siena. They never ended.”

Dessert and most of the afternoon continued as thus: retelling old family stories and recounting family memories as everyone devoured both desserts, with William explaining each of the Swedish pastries he’d picked from the bakery. They called their grandparents in Derry just as they were finishing, with William politely staying out of view, and then everybody relaxed around the house. William promised Camden he’d teach him some stickhandling tricks with the old sticks they had somewhere in the garage, “once my food baby has passed.” Mirza and Orla sat on the couch, watching the Christmas specials on TV. Camden opened and started to organize the pieces of a Lego set he’d received as a Christmas gift on the dining room table. Siena, Aberdeen, and William went down to the basement to “watch Netflix”. They got through one episode of Brooklyn 9-9 before Siena told them to sneak back upstairs into hers and Aberdeen’s bedroom for some alone time. Aberdeen tried to say no but William was already up. When he winked at Siena as a thank you, Siena immediately understood what attracted Aberdeen to him in the first place.

When he walked inside Aberdeen’s room, he thought that it was everything yet nothing he imagined all at once. A small twin bed, a stylish comforter, a view pictures of her with friends strung along draped string and a corkboard above her headboard. “So this is your room?”

Aberdeen nodded. “Well, used to be just Siena’s room. Then when the little monster was born we moved in together.”

“You didn’t care? Didn’t demand a room in the basement?”

Aberdeen shook her head. “I told you how close Siena and I are. I actually didn’t mind at all.”

He sat down on her bed, looking up at some of the pictures she’d hung. He recognized Kasha in one of them, and what he assumed to be other university friends. There was even a picture of the family together, for what looked like one of Camden’s birthdays. “You have such a nice house…” he started, looking around some more. “A nice, like, _home_. It’s very homey and just, like, perfect. And your family’s really…warm,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “They remind me a lot of mine. Close knit and stuff. You’ve all got each other’s back.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, sitting down on her bed next to him. “Does it…I mean, does it make you miss your family?”

“Tons,” he replied automatically. “Especially on days like today. But it’s okay. I know this summer when we’re all together it’s gonna be a blast.”

“I know…” Aberdeen began. “Listen, I know you don’t like to talk about your feelings much, but if you ever _do_ want to talk when you’re really missing them…you know I’m here to listen, right?”

William looked at her and smiled. God, he got so lucky. “I know,” he said. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He paused, staring into her eyes before knowing he had to continue. “Listen…I got you something,” he said.

“You _what_?” Aberdeen was flabbergasted. As if enough didn’t already happen today. He saw her baby photos for God’s sake.

“I couldn’t help myself.”

“I really think you could.”

He sighed and smiled, reaching into a bag Aberdeen hadn’t noticed was there and pulling out a wrapped box, a ribbon tied around it perfectly. She had a hard time believing he wrapped it himself, but then again, he had a lot of siblings. That was his excuse for knowing how to do a bunch of things that he had no other logical explanation as to why he knew how to do it. “Merry Christmas, minskatt,” he said.

“I don’t have anything for you,” she blurted out, immediately regretting it. 

“I don’t need anything. It’s fine,” he shook his head, pushing the box onto her lap. “Open it.”

It was small. Too small for her liking. She gave him one last look before sliding the ribbon off and ripping the paper. The box was neutral, which made her even more nervous. She opened the lid.

Inside, she was met with a ring. An evil eye ring made of yellow gold, with the centre of the eye bedazzled with a black diamond, circled by two bands of rich blue diamonds, and finished off with regular diamonds outlining and filling out the rest of the eye shape. Her breath hitched in her throat audibly as she stared at it and took in its beauty. She couldn’t believe William got this for her. She couldn’t believe he…he…

“I hope you like it,” she heard William’s voice say softly. “I know rings are…well, whatever, but…I saw it and I thought of you. It…it went beyond when you told me your dad was Persian. The blue…it sounds stupid, but the blue reminded me of your tattoo. The waves. Like now whenever I see anything blue I think of you and your tattoo and the waves and stuff, and…and—” he was rambling, and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop, “—and I just figured, I don’t know, you always wear nice jewelry, nice rings, and this can be part of it. And it’ll protect you, according to tradition or whatever. And maybe, I don’t know, every time you look down at your hand and see the ring, you’ll be reminded of me.”

Aberdeen took every word to heart. She’d been looking at him the entire time, and her heart was so full by the end of his rambling that she couldn’t think straight; she couldn’t think of what to say, how to say it, how to thank him, how to truly express how much she loved it, so she did the only thing she could think to do. The only thing she _couldn’t_ do.

She kissed him.

It was slow at first, and it took William aback – never in a million years did he think Aberdeen would initiate _any_ kiss, let alone a kiss on her bed while they were alone in her bedroom after he’d crashed her family’s Christmas celebrations – but eventually, and gradually, the kiss deepened and became more passionate, with William’s hand going lightly to her hip, and Aberdeen’s hand resting gently on his thigh. They stayed like that for a while, just kissing on her bed, William absolutely basking in the feeling, as if a thousand lightning bolts were moving through his body all at once, having waited for _months_ – _six months_ – to feel his lips against hers again. It intoxicated him as much now as it did that night in June so long ago; perhaps even more so now, now that he knew what her lips felt like but was denied for so long, only to be given the luxury again. He was drunk on the feeling. 

It was only until William couldn’t help himself, when Aberdeen felt a slip of his tongue against her lips, that she was brought back down to earth, only for her to pull away quickly. “Oh God,” she worried. “I wasn’t supposed to do that.”

William half smiled as he bit down on his bottom lip. “It’s not like I’m gonna tell anybody.”

She felt William’s hand on her hip move to hold her hand that was resting on his thigh. He held it so warmly, still looking at her, and rubbed circles onto her hand. His touch was so delicate, so tender. So unlike other touches she’d experienced, other touches she never wanted to experience again. “Will?”

“Hmm?” he licked his lips.

She finally met his eye. “I…I never thanked you for going to Brendan about…you know…” she trailed off. 

His face shifted. “Aberdeen—”

“No – please,” she interrupted him, looking down nervously at their fingers that had now entangled with each other’s on his lap. She didn’t know why she couldn’t look him in the eye. She’d just kissed him, for God’s sake. “I never thanked you. Or Pierre for that matter. If you guys hadn’t gone to Brendan, I’d still have to be dealing with him, and…and I just…”

“Aberdeen, you don’t need to thank me for doing the right thing. Anybody would have done the same thing,” William said. “Believe me. Any one of those guys in the locker room would have done the same thing. Pierre and I actually made the decision to wait until after the holidays to tell everyone what happened so they wouldn’t get upset before Christmas.”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows. “Why? They…they’d get upset?”

“Are you kidding me? _Of course_ they’d get upset,” William said. “Jason would have gone insane if he knew. The guy has four girls. Auston, Morgan, Kappy – everyone thinks you’re a bit of nerd or whatever, but they’d all go to bat for you. And everyone’s gonna be really upset when they hear about it. Actually, they’ll probably get mad at me for _not_ telling them so they couldn’t whoop Ethan’s ass themselves.”

Aberdeen never considered that. She knew the guys liked her well enough, but she never considered that they liked her enough that they’d be upset something like that happened to her. She never considered that they’d be protective of her in that way. For all that she was Brendan Shanahan’s executive assistant and on the administrative side of things, she never felt part of the team more than she did in this moment, in her room alone with William Nylander. 

“Can you…can you tell me something?” William asked as he watched her think.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me…you know, what Ethan was doing?”

There was the million dollar question. Aberdeen didn’t want to admit why. She didn’t want to admit to William that the reason she didn’t tell him was because she didn’t want him to know, didn’t want him to get involved, didn’t want to endanger his position in any way with the team by him speaking up on her behalf. She didn’t want to tell him it was because she didn’t think it was worth it. But she knew she had too. She took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t think you cared that much,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t think that it was…you know…worth caring _about_ , even.”

It was William’s turn to furrow his brows. He looked pained, physically pained, at the words that had just escaped her mouth. “You’re _always_ worth caring about, minskatt,” he said firmly, with no space to debate his tone or words. “You’re _always_ …fuck, Aberdeen, you’re _always_ fucking worth it to me.”

She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth; couldn’t believe how much conviction was in his voice and how much he meant each and every word. Nobody had said those words to her before. Well – no _guy_ had said those words to her before. She remembered Zane and how he refused to acknowledge how she wanted to become a writer. She remembered how, a second after she told him, William said she’d make a great writer even though he’d never read any of her work. To William, she was worth it; in every sense of the word, she was worth it. She was worth late night walks back to her apartment. She was worth sneaking into hotel rooms at night. She was worth calls to Sugo and paying extra to get dinner long after they closed down. She was worth sneaking around to get her phone number, and her parents’ address to show up for Christmas. She was worth spending whatever amount of money on a ring that reminded him of her. She was worth it. She was worth it all. 

She moved closer to him again.

Closer.

And closer.

And…

“Aberdeen!” she heard Camden scream her voice down the hallway. So he apparently knew they were in her room. She and William moved at lightning speed not to be so close to each other. She shoved the box into her bedside table. Camden’s loud footsteps echoed down the hallway until they stopped outside her door. 

Camden at least had the knowledge to knock. She’d yelled at him one too many times for him to forget. “Come in,” she said, her voice still a bit shaky from what had almost just happened. 

He opened the door and stuck his head through. “William promised he’d play some hockey with me in the driveway before he left,” he said. 

“William and I are talking right now,” she said quickly, trying to get him to go away.

“About what?”

“About work stuff.”

“What’s happening at work?”

“ _Camden_.”

“Is Mitch Marner okay?”

“Can you give us maybe, like, five or ten minutes to solve this problem?” William asked. “I’ll meet you in the driveway after that. Practice your stickhandling so I can show you what to improve on.”

Camden nodded his head quickly and closed the door behind him as he rushed back down the hallway, yelling at his dad to open the garage and get his hockey stick. William looked at Aberdeen and laughed as she let out a breath in one long sigh, giggling to herself before shaking her head. “God…what am I doing?” she mumbled to herself.

“Realizing you’re worth it,” William said quickly, inching closer to her and kissing her again. It was nice, and it was innocent, and it was beautiful, and it was lovely, but it was also wrong. Aberdeen pulled back quicker than last time, but William didn’t seem to mind. He knew this kiss was gratuitous – an extra gift. “I can’t wait to see you on the plane to New Jersey wearing that ring,” he mumbled, grabbing her hand and holding it in his.

She stiffened for a second. “I can’t wear that to _work_.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s from _you_. Everyone’s gonna ask about it.”

“Have _any_ of the guys, including Brendan, _ever_ asked about _any_ piece of jewelry you’ve worn before?” he deadpanned. Okay, so he had a point. “Besides, just tell them it was a Christmas gift from your parents.”

She shook her head. “You underestimate how good of a liar I am.”

“You spent six months lying trying to convince yourself you didn’t like me.”

She blushed. Okay, so he had another point. “Touché, Will.”

He licked his lips, biting down on the bottom one gently. “Why’re you so scared?”

“I’m not scared,” Aberdeen answered. “I’m just aware of how inappropriate this is and how much I’m starting not to care anymore.”

William smiled. And he leaned in again. But before he could kiss her again – helping as best he could to get her to not care anymore – Camden’s voice boomed through the house again. “ _Aberdeeeeen_!”

She practically growled at another moment ruined. “ _Camden_!” she screamed out.

This time, he didn’t bother to knock when he opened the bedroom door. He poked his head through again. “Do you know someone who drives a black Porsche Cayenne?”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows. As if she knew more than one person who drove a car that expensive. “My boss does…” she said.

“Well, it’s in the driveway.”

Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of her head. She shot up from her seat and grabbed William and dragged him towards her closet. “Is that—” he tried to ask.

“ _Quiet_.”

“Is that Brendan?” he asked as she practically tore her closet door off her hinges to open it. “What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t fucking know!” she exclaimed in one of those loud, frantic whispers. “Do you honestly think if I knew he was coming sometime today I would have let you stay in my house this long? Now _shut up_.”

“Aber—oooooowwwwww!” he protested as she grabbed the top of his head and pushed him down and _into_ her closet like he was getting into the back of a cop car. He _belonged_ in a cop car, Aberdeen thought, for showing up at her house on Christmas. “Aberdeen!”

“Shut _up!_ ” she said hurriedly, putting her hand over his mouth. “If you value your life as well as mine you will stay in here and _stay quiet_ until I come get you,” she warned, closing the closet door in his face.

“Who’s that now?” Orla asked as Aberdeen hurried to the front of the house, where she saw her mother looking out the window. “We don’t know people who drive Porsches.”

“It’s for me. It’s my boss. Brendan Shanahan. The president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Aberdeen informed everyone. She saw Siena send a panicked look her way.

“Oh, did you invite him to Christmas too now and he just came late?” Orla joked.

“Is he here to see William?” Camden asked.

Aberdeen took a deep breath. She felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest. “Everybody listen,” she said loudly. “Brendan _cannot_ know William was here… _is_ here.”

“Why can’t Brendan know about W—”

“I’ll lose my job, okay?” she said quickly. Her parents’ eyes widened. “Brendan doesn’t like the players, uh…he doesn’t…just please, _please_ don’t ask me to explain. Just take my word for it. Just don’t mention anything and… _please be normal_.” She knew Siena already knew. And she knew her parents were good for it – though she’d have to explain to them in more detail later. It was Camden she was worried about. She looked down at him. “You say _a word_ about William being here and I take that Kyle Lowry jersey back and tell everyone at your school that you still sleep with Bubby.”

Bubby was the stuffed giraffe Camden got as a kid. He slept with it religiously when he was small, but he didn’t still sleep with it, though it stayed perched on his shelf. Camden grimaced but understood the ultimatum his sister was giving him – no kid would ever recover from that rumour being spread. “Fine.”

Their doorbell rang. Mirza moved to open the door. He couldn’t even see Brendan’s face – it was obstructed by a giant basket. “Oh my goodness!” he exclaimed, noticing it was teetering a bit. “Let me help, let me help!” he said, taking some of the weight of the basket. “Come in! Come in!” he moved backwards, and the two men balanced the basket on the half-wall that separated the entrance from the front family room. 

Aberdeen felt like she was going to faint. Brendan Shanahan was now in her front entrance while William Nylander was stuffed in her bedroom closet. “You must be Mr. Bloom,” Brendan said, extending his hand to shake. “And Mrs. Bloom,” he said once he noticed Orla, shaking her hand too. “I’m Brendan Shanahan – I’m Aberdeen’s boss.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Brendan,” Orla smiled. “Aberdeen speaks so highly of you.”

He waved and smiled at Aberdeen. Then he noticed Siena and Camden. “You must be Siena,” he smiled at her, “and Camden.” Camden nodded enthusiastically and silently. “I don’t mean to intrude on your Christmas,” Brendan held up his hands slightly. “I just – well, my family and I are on our way to my mother’s house in Mimico. I’m an Etobicoke boy too, you see. And when Aberdeen told me her mother was another Belfast lass, well, I had to see for myself.”

Orla giggled. Mirza had a smile on his face. “Irish too, then? Well, with a name like Shanahan, how could you not be?” Orla quipped. 

“I don’t mean to stay long – we’re already late as is – but I just wanted to pass this gift along as a token of my thanks and gratitude,” he said, motioning to the giant wrapped basket. It had an assortment of things in it that Aberdeen couldn’t make out because she was scared William was going to scream out from the closet or walk around the corner any second and then she’d be out of a job. She knew Camden would take it all apart the second Brendan left, anyway.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, Mr. Shanahan—” Orla said.

“No no, I insist. It’s the least I could do,” he said. “I’m sorry for taking your daughter away from you so much and having her travel to every corner of this continent. I know it must be hard on you as parents.”

“It is,” Mirza said, “but she enjoys her job very much. She’s always letting us know about the cool things she’s doing or the cities she’s going to. She feels very fortunate to be in the position she’s in.”

“We’re very lucky to have her as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs team,” Brendan smiled warmly. “Anyways, I’m so sorry for taking up your time,” he turned to leave.

“Don’t be sorry at all, Mr. Shanahan. This is a very lovely gift, thank you.”

As he stepped through the threshold of the doorway, he turned back. “If I want to drop by St. Leo and bring some of the boys, am I calling you?” he asked Orla.

“You bet your arse you are, because you’re not going to anyone else’s class but mine.”

Brendan smiled. “I’ll call you to arrange something, then. Have a very Merry Christmas.”

When the door closed, Aberdeen let out a sigh of relief. “Was that harmless enough, Aberdeen? Was it to your liking?” Orla asked sarcastically.

“Don’t.”

“Camden, go fetch mummy a card from the drawer in the kitchen so we can write a thank you note to Mr. Shanahan for this enormous basket full of…full of…” she stopped, eyeing the contents. Suddenly, she jumped up. “Oh Lord! Oh heavens it’s a basket of Irish and British goodies! And _sweets_! Oh, bless that man! _Bless_ that man!”

Aberdeen didn’t care about sweets. She thought about William in her closet and rushed towards her room. She closed the door to her room behind her and opened the closet door to see him holding up her high school kilt, like he was examining it. “What the fuck are you doing with that?”

He smirked at her. “Can you wear this for me sometime?”

“ _Get out of there_!” she ordered, snatching her kilt away from his hands as he giggled like the schoolgirl she once was. She hung it back up in the back of her closet. “You’re a perv.”

“Only for you,” he continued to giggle.

***

William held on to the Tupperware Orla had given him full of leftovers as he and Aberdeen stood on her front porch. Aberdeen made sure not to get too close; partly because she had a feeling that at least _one_ member of her family was spying through a window, but also, because if she got close to him, she didn’t know what she’d do. 

William had charmed her entire family. Her mother invited him back for Easter. Camden thought he was the coolest guy around. Siena understood now why Aberdeen was so drawn to him. And Mirza – well, Mirza just _liked_ him. Thought he was a good kid. And he _was_ a good kid. Despite his upbringing and despite his job being one of the stars of the Leafs, he was just a humble, polite, guy when he came over – just a guy from Sweden who worked with Aberdeen. Aberdeen thought that maybe that’s all he wanted to be when he was around her – just a guy from Sweden. Not William Nylander, hockey star. He certainly showed that he liked and preferred it that way.

“You’re coming to Jersey, right?” he asked. She nodded her head. “What about New Years?”

“I’ll be there,” she nodded again. “Kinda sucks that we won’t get to spend it here, though. I think this is the first New Year’s I’ll spend outside of Toronto.”

“Well it has to be extra special, then,” he smiled. 

Aberdeen bit her lip. She didn’t know what that meant. A part of her didn’t want to know while another part of her did. “Will…” she began.

“Minskatt?”

“Why didn’t you ever move on from me?”

William was taken aback by the question. The notion was absurd to him. “Why would I ever want to do that?”

Aberdeen couldn’t believe his answer. Was there really nobody else for him? Nobody in Sweden that summer he could have had fun with? Nobody in Toronto he could call? She didn’t know why he insisted on his life revolving around just her when she’d barely given him anything the past six months, three of which were spent in two separate continents. Was he insane? Was _she_?

A car pulled up in front of the house, and Aberdeen knew it was his Uber. He glanced at it before taking one last look at her. “Have a good night, Aberdeen. I’ll see you Thursday morning.”

She watched him get into the car, watched it pull out of the driveway and drive down the street. When she opened the door and stepped back into her house, she saw Siena waiting for her. “You’re fucked,” was all she said.

Aberdeen nodded. If other people could see it, then she needed to start accepting it. “I know.”


	16. Chapter 15

**December 30 th, 2019**

Aberdeen Bloom was ready for 2020.

She had to get through a game against Minnesota first, but she was excited nonetheless. And she checked the weather in Winnipeg and saw that it was -20°C, but she tried to remain excited. Even if she was going to freeze her ass off.

As she climbed the stairs up to the charter plane behind Brendan, she took one look back at the tarmac, at the sun setting behind them. She was going to miss Toronto. This would be the first time ever that she’d spend the new year outside of the city, outside of the country. She figured Minnesota was the closest thing she could get to Canada – everybody always said how alike they were – but it, of course, wasn’t the same. Kasha and Siena were going to a party hosted by Masani, and most of Aberdeen’s friends would be there too. Except her. Because she’d be at a hotel in Minnesota, ringing in the new year alone. 

Aberdeen would at least be able to FaceTime them. Hopefully.

When she put her carry-on in the overhead compartment, she looked down the plane to see William finishing doing the same and taking off his jacket. He looked over at her. Subconsciously, she raised her hand to fix her hair. He saw the ring on her finger flash in the poor airplane light. He looked away to bite his lip and smile. It was his go-to reaction when he saw it on her finger in New Jersey the first time – he’d actually walked away when he saw it because it was too much for him to bear. When he saw it again, back in Toronto on Saturday against the Rangers, he’d had the same reaction. Now, at least, he wasn’t as bashful about it. He didn’t turn red and have to walk away. 

But none of that mattered now. She was too sullen and too sad to have it _really_ get to her like it usually would. For the first time since she started working for Brendan, she desperately didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay in Toronto. She wanted to go to Masani’s house party. She wanted to drink cocktails with Siena and Kasha, and she wanted to drink champagne at midnight surrounded by all her friends. She wanted to go to her parents’ house on New Year’s Day and hug them and hug Camden. 

But she couldn’t.

“Is this your first time out of the city for New Year’s?” Brendan asked, interrupting her thoughts as he put his bag in the overhead compartment. 

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, her attention completely away from William now, who she knew was probably still looking at her, or at least in her general direction.

“First time you won’t see your family?”

She nodded again. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Hmph…” Brendan nodded knowingly. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

Aberdeen slipped into her seat on the plane. She watched Brendan slip into his own seat in front of her before he took out his iPad. Through the crack between the seats, she saw him open Netflix. She knew that meant she wouldn’t be bothered, so she stuck her headphones in her ears and settled in. 

When the plane took off, she had to close her window. If she didn’t, she knew she’d cry, unable to say goodbye to the city she wished she could celebrate in. 

***

**December 31 st, 2019**

Aberdeen was lucky that it was an early game. It meant she could go back into her hotel room and FaceTime Siena and Kasha while they were at the party and pretend she was there too.

The team had gotten in late last night and immediately checked into the hotel and went to bed. After a quick morning skate and hanging out at the arena, Aberdeen was running something for Brendan as she walked inside the locker room. By this point, the team was comfortable with her presence, and no-one batted an eye. Even _she_ was comfortable – a complete turnaround from her first day when she basically slammed herself into a door twice because she saw them in tight workout gear. They could be topless now and she wouldn’t even notice. What had her life become? 

When she finished speaking to Dave Hakstol on behalf of Brendan, she was ready to leave. That was, until—

“ _You_ ,” Jason said sternly as he marched towards her from across the room. “You get over here _now_ ,” he grabbed her arm and led her out of the room, into a part of the hallway where he could speak to her without anyone interrupting. 

“What’s this about?” Aberdeen asked.

“What’s this I hear about _Ethan Baker_?” Jason asked.

She froze in her spot. She didn’t expect to have to deal with this _now_. “Oh. That.”

“Aberdeen, what the fuck?” he asked, his tone as serious as she’d ever heard it. “William and Pierre told us after morning skate that he was fired for sexually harassing you _before Christmas_. Pierre could barely speak he was still so angry.”

“He _was_ fired for sexually harassing me,” she confirmed.

“What the _fuck_ happened?”

“He uh…he felt me up in the staff kitchen before Christmas. Pierre walked in on the tail end of it. Thankfully.”

“He _what_?!” Jason was absolutely livid. Aberdeen had never seen him this angry. He wasn’t punching walls (Jason didn’t punch walls), but she could tell the anger was boiling within him. “What do you mean he _felt you up_?”

“Do I really have to go into detail?” she asked, uncomfortable with revealing anything more. “He’s gone now, that’s all that matters.”

“And Pierre and William tell us he was making you uncomfortable for a while?” Jason continued. At that point, Aberdeen couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. She knew William would tell them about the assault, but she didn’t know he’d tell them absolutely _everything_. She didn’t want to have to tell Jason – old, wise, sensible Jason – what she told William on Christmas. She knew he’d be so disappointed in her, and the absolute last thing she wanted in the world was for Jason Spezza to be disappointed in her. “Aberdeen, _why_ didn’t you say anything?”

“Jason…”

“ _Aberdeen_.”

“I didn’t…listen, I just didn’t think it was worth the trouble. I knew at the beginning he was just hazing me or whatever because I was the new girl. But the more inappropriate it got, the more I just…I don’t know, I didn’t think I was worth the hassle—”

“William said he called you a _piggy_ one day,” Jason said. “How is that not worth the hassle?” Aberdeen stayed silent. At her silence, Jason became even more frustrated. “Aberdeen, you need to know how valued you are as a member of the team.”

“I’m not a Leaf, Jason.”

“ _Doesn’t matter_ ,” he was stern. “The whole locker room is ready to find him and rip out his throat. How could you even think that we wouldn’t have done anything if you came to one of us?”

“I did,” she whispered, immediately regretting it.

“What?”

“I said I _did_ ,” she said louder. She took a deep breath. “William found me one day trying to move hockey bags by myself because Ethan said I needed to do it. He told Mike about it, but Mike decided not to pursue it any further or take it to Brendan.”

Jason looked like a mix between being unable to believe the words that were coming out of her mouth and looking like he was ready to blow a gasket. “Why am I not surprised?” he mumbled through gritted teeth. 

Aberdeen shrugged. After what came out about Mike after he got fired, she wasn’t exactly surprised either. And after what he did to Jason on the season opener, she _really_ wasn’t surprised. He probably thought she deserved it for all she knew, being the rookie and all. “It’s over now, Jason. I want to put it past me. And I appreciate you coming up to me – seriously, thank you – but I think you can understand why I don’t want to do talk about it anymore.”

As she moved to turn away from him, she felt him grab her elbow gently one last time. “Just…listen to me. Before you go,” he said. “If anybody, ever, in any capacity, makes you feel uncomfortable whatsoever, you tell one of us.”

“I will,” she smiled, turning again to walk away. 

“Even if it _is_ one of us.”

Aberdeen stopped. She looked over her shoulder and back at him, seeing him standing in his Leafs hoodie and staring directly at her. There was conviction in his voice. Principle. Morality. She knew he was dead serious.

She nodded her head. 

***

Catering had prepared a rosé pasta, some chicken, fresh vegetables, and a hearty soup for the team to consume before the game. Aberdeen took a large bowl of the cream of broccoli soup and brought it to her table, where she sat alone. Only some of the team had filtered in so far – it was mostly the equipment and coaching staff. She ate her soup in peace while she scrolled through her phone.

That was, until—

“Hey,” she heard Morgan’s voice. When she looked up, he was already setting his plate of food down on the table at the seat right beside her. From behind him, John Tavares appeared, setting his plate down beside Morgan’s. 

“Hi guys,” she smiled. It would have looked like a slight ambush, but Morgan and John had to be the nicest guys in the league. Morgan was practically her Uber driver, for heaven’s sake. “How are you?”

“We’re fine,” John answered politely.

“What about _you_?” Morgan asked.

The inflex in his tone was telling. “I’m fine…”

“Listen,” John just got right into it. There was no point of beating around the bush. “William and Pierre told us what happened—”

“You’re not sticking to the script, John,” Morgan grumbled.

“Your script was horrible, Morgan.”

“We _agreed_ on the script.”

“We didn’t agree on _anything_.”

“Because you _insist_ on the script being written by William fucking _Shakespeare_ —"

Aberdeen couldn’t help but snort. Besides being the nicest guys in the league, the other thing she could count on them for was making her laugh. “Guys – it’s fine – Jason already spoke to me about it too—”

“Noooo no no, we’re not letting you off that easy,” Morgan shook his head. “He’s the captain and I’m one of the alternates. We have to get to the bottom of this.”

Aberdeen gave the boys a look, waiting for them to proceed. She wondered how deep they would go with their grilling. She wondered if they’d get as mad as Jason did, even if more people, teammates included, were filing into the dining room now. “I’m not here to pry, Aberdeen. I don’t want to know the details because I’m sure you don’t want to relive them,” John said. “I just…more than anything, I just want to know why you didn’t say anything. Like, why you didn’t approach me, or Morgan, or any of the other guys about how uncomfortable he made you.”

Aberdeen sighed. She knew she’d have to go through the same things she told Jason. “I just didn’t think that it was worth the big hassle. I knew at the beginning he was just hazing me or whatever because I was the newbie. As it got worse, I just…didn’t want to make a big deal. I know that sounds horrible. Believe me.”

“You should have made it a big deal,” Morgan said.

“I know. I know that now,” Aberdeen nodded her head. “And…uh, for what it’s worth, William sort of caught him once, so to speak, and he tried to talk to Mike about it, but Mike didn’t take it any further.”

“Babcock?” John asked.

“The one and only.”

Morgan and John shot each other a knowing look. It’s as if everyone knew – that they held out hope he would have done the right thing, but knowing he ultimately wouldn’t. It was Morgan that looked at Aberdeen first. “Did anyone ever tell you what happened to Bee?” he asked.

Aberdeen shook her head. She had no clue where this was leading to. “No…”

Morgan took a deep breath. “Bee grew up with an alcoholic mother,” he began, setting the tone of the conversation with those words. “She fought to have herself legally emancipated from her at sixteen, and she never saw her after that. At the end of January – near All Star Weekend, actually – it’ll be a year since Bee’s mom passed away. Bee grew up in rooming houses, homeless shelters, all that.”

“Wow,” Aberdeen was legitimately shocked at what Morgan was telling her. “I didn’t know any of that.”

“When we started dating, she started to get these messages accusing me of being her sugar daddy and all that. Trapping me. Just really stupid stuff,” Morgan recounted. “But as time went on, the messages started becoming worse. They started targeting her weight. They started targeting her personality, her character. Why we were together. After…” he paused, collecting his emotions, “after Zach’s wedding last summer, and a video was posted to Snapchat of her and Freddie and Tyler Ennis having fun, someone had the audacity to call her the team cum bucket. It got to her, a lot. _A lot_. But Bee always stayed silent about it. She took this stance of having a dignified silence.”

From beside him, John nodded his head. “Then one day, Bee, Aryne, and Bee’s best friend Angie were having dinner when a group of girls that knew Kappy’s ex approached them. It…” John paused, having to collect his emotions as well as he retold the story. He shook his head. “They somehow learned that Bee’s mom had died due to her alcoholism, and brought it up as a point of gossip. It _wrecked_ Bee. Just completely…” he looked over to Morgan, who was shaking his head. He still didn’t like thinking about it. “Lawyers almost got involved, social media managers…Bee had to make a super private Instagram account. She even came out with a statement on the public one she has now about the whole thing.”

Aberdeen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Holy _shit_ ,” was all she could say. She felt horrible knowing that Bee had gone through something so terrible. She’d always been nothing but an absolute sweetheart to Aberdeen whenever she and Morgan drove her home and whenever Aberdeen saw her at Scotiabank Arena. To think that a group of girls had done that to her was appalling. “I’m—I’m really sorry that happened to you guys,” she told Morgan.

“John offered to get lawyers involved. _Good_ lawyers. And I’d do anything for Bee, so you know I was ready to burn the entire city down,” Morgan said. Aberdeen knew. She could tell just by the way he looked at her when they were in the car together driving her home that Morgan would move entire oceans for Bee.

“When Bee and I talked about it on the phone, I told her that one of the risks of being quiet is that other people can fill your silence, and you can’t let them fill your silence,” John explained. “And that’s what I’m going to tell you too, Aberdeen. The risk of being quiet is that other people can fill your silence. Don’t let them fill your silence.”

The words hit Aberdeen like a ton of bricks. She knew exactly what John meant. She could no longer stay silent about things and be “just” Brendan’s executive assistant, the girl in the shadows willing to do anything for her boss but not willing to speak up about things. She had to be better. She had to be stronger, fiercer. She had to use her voice. “Thanks, guys.”

“And if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable, you come tell one of us and we’ll take care of it,” Morgan affirmed.

Aberdeen nodded her head. “I will.”

***

The Leafs won 4-1, thankfully ending the decade on a good note. William scored. Not that she cared. The game even ended at 7:30, which meant after media, everybody was on the bus to get back to the hotel by 8:15. The guys didn’t mess around – they wanted out of the arena quick. She was sure that a lot of them were going to do what she was planning on doing: FaceTiming friends and family back home. She knew for a fact that a lot of the girls were at a party together. And she knew for a fact the party Masani was throwing was already happening because of the time difference. She couldn’t wait to bundle up in her room and call Siena. 

That was, until—

“Alright, you all get one hour to get all shiny and new before the bus leaves again,” Brendan announced. He looked down at Aberdeen. “Including you,” he added, before walking off the bus.

She furrowed her brows. “What’s going on?”

“My boy Boeser recommended Murray’s Steakhouse for a New Year’s team dinner,” Auston said as he stood up from his seat, just across the aisle and two seats down from her seat at the front of the bus. “Best steaks in the city. So get a move on.”

She couldn’t believe it. Brendan hadn’t told her about a thing. He didn’t even tell her to pack an extra outfit. So now she was going to be stuck wearing work clothes to the best steakhouse in the city on New Years surrounded by the Maple Leafs. She was going to kill him. 

So she showered. And she did her hair. And she put on some makeup. And she tried to put together an outfit. And when she went back down to the lobby to see almost everyone already waiting and ready to go, she beelined towards Jason who was looking down at his phone. “Did you know about the dinner?” she asked, scaring him slightly.

“We had a hunch,” he shrugged his shoulders. “Why? You didn’t?”

“No.”

“I thought you would have made all the arrangements. I mean, no offence.”

“None taken,” she said, looking around briefly. She saw Kasperi exit the elevator, followed by William. She looked away quickly, focusing her attention back to Jason. “What are Jen and the girls up to tonight?”

“Are you asking me because you genuinely care or because you want to take your mind off Willy?” Jason smirked, who had followed her line of sight. 

“Shut up, Jason.”

“Hey,” Kasperi’s voice interrupted their little chat as he and William showed up beside them. Aberdeen smiled politely at them but Jason still had a cheeky grin on his face. “You guys ready for some tomahawk steaks?”

“I prefer filets,” Aberdeen said.

“Hmm,” Kasper smirked. “Like Willy.”

Aberdeen sneered at Kasperi, but William’s grew a bit of a smirk. “How do I look, Aberdeen?”

She shook her head. “You look like you should have had the starring role in Mamma Mia.”

Jason and Kasperi snorted. Kasperi even took out his phone to write down the insult in his notes – he’d been keeping a record of all of them since the beginning. William smiled too, shaking his head slightly. “Well, it does have Abba in it,” he commented.

“Exactly what Swedes are known for.”

“Not Ikea or our hockey players?”

“Definitely Ikea, not your hockey players.”

“Ouch, Aberdeen,” William brought his hand up to his heart, pretending to be heartbroken. Kappy rolled his eyes at William. 

Before she could respond, Brendan’s boisterous voice could be heard getting off of the elevator. He was with Sheldon, who looked equally as happy as Brendan to be going out. She wondered why others weren’t as pouty as she was about all of this – all she wanted to do, still, was FaceTime with Siena and her friends and pretend she was back in Toronto. That was, until, she remembered that the team was their family too, almost as much as their real family. These guys were on the road almost as often as they were home, and that although they had families at home, or wives, or girlfriends, their teammates were as much family as their actual family. And somehow, someway, she had become a factor in that ‘family’ – she was a member, she was a willing participant, she was a constant presence in their life with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

More than anything, she was very lucky. She needed to remember that. Despite being away from her family in friends, she was still a very lucky girl.

At the restaurant, they got led to a private room with a few TVs and everything done up with banners, streamers, and party hats and favours. There were two long tables, and Brendan commandeered one of them, sitting at the head, while John commandeered the other, sitting at the head as well. She shuffled in with everyone else, looking down at her phone to see if Siena or Kasha had texted, and before she knew it, she was sandwiched in between Jason and Morgan, will William opposite her space at the table, sandwiched between Kasperi and Pierre Engvall.

She probably shouldn’t be here. She should probably be at Brendan’s table, with Sheldon and the coaching staff and the equipment guys and— “I think I should go to the other ta—”

“ _Sit_ ,” Jason instructed her, calmly but firmly. “You need to stop being so nervous all the time. Brendan doesn’t care where you sit.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive. Especially if you’re sitting next to me.”

Aberdeen acquiesced. He was probably lying, but he would be the one to deal with it later if he was and Brendan had a problem with it. She settled in, looking down at the menu and ordering a filet with a lobster tail and a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus. If she was going to be here, she was going to go all out. 

The dinner was nice. Brendan and John gave short but sweet speeches as everyone got their meals, and the conversation that followed was lively, fun, and animated. William seemed to be on his best behaviour, but throughout the dinner she could feel his leg brush up against hers under the table. She’d shoot him a look every time; he’d just make eyes with her and smile. A lot of the guys were reflecting on the year, some even on the entire decade – where they had been at the beginning versus where they are now – and it made Aberdeen think about her year and her decade too. At the beginning, she was in elementary school; at the end, she was working for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In between, she’d had a horde of stupid crushes, a couple of ex-boyfriends, listened to good music, gotten her licence, gotten published, moved out, cried about bad grades, cried about good grades, graduated, and got her first real ‘big girl’ job. She had a lot to be proud of. She had a lot left to do, but still a lot to still be proud of.

When dinner was over and the guys were just shooting the shit at the table or around the room, Aberdeen took the opportunity to go to a quiet hallway outside of the party room so she could call Siena. It was 10:30 in Minneapolis, which meant it was 11:30 in Toronto, and Aberdeen wanted to talk to her before midnight, before all the champagne, and before Siena got _too_ drunk. 

The first call didn’t go through. The second call dropped. Aberdeen got nervous. What if the lines were already too busy? What if she wouldn’t be able to speak to Siena? The fear began to kick in. She moved down the hallway, closer to a window, hoping it would help. The third call dropped again, and so did the fourth. Aberdeen could feel her chest tightening. She tried one more time. She was about to give up hope and cry for the rest of the night. But then the screen changed, and it froze for a second. And then —

“Aberdeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!” Siena cooed happily into the phone, finally appearing on the screen with a giant smile on her face. “How are you? Where are you guys tonight?”

“I’m fine. We’re at some steakhouse in Minneapolis. How’s the party?” she asked.

“It’s _soooo_ good. See for yourself!” she exclaimed, flipping the phone towards everyone at the party. Siena screamed that it was Aberdeen and all her friends came rushing to the screen – Kasha and Evan were waving and blowing kisses, Masani was clinking her glass towards the screen, and so many of her other friends were waving and screaming sentiments like _‘Wish you were here!_ ’ It made Aberdeen emotional to say the least. It was where she wanted to be more than anything. When that was all done with, Siena focused the screen back on herself. “One of Masani’s friends is a bartender and he’s been making us drinks all night. He made this killer punch too. Everybody’s here. _Everybody_. It’s so fun.”

Aberdeen could feel her cheeks flush. “I wish I was there,” she said, trying not to make her voice crack. “I wish I was there _so bad_.”

“You’re spending New Year’s Eve with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Aberdeen. It can’t be that bad,” Siena quipped.

“It’s _not_. It’s not bad _at all_ ,” Aberdeen said. Her voice ended up cracking – so much for trying to hide her emotion. She knew she probably sounded ungrateful at this point, but she didn’t really care. She’d been bottling it up all day, and she needed to let it out. “It’s great being with them. It _is_. But I just…I just wish I was spending it at home with you and everyone else.”

Siena could hear the emotion apparent in Aberdeen’s voice. Aberdeen watched as Siena walked down a hallway and locked herself in a washroom so she could hear her better and really get to the bottom of things. “Aberdeen, talk to me,” she said as she sat on the toilet. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“I just…I miss home. I miss Toronto. I miss mom and dad,” Aberdeen admitted. “I miss _being_ with them and I miss them roasting me all the time, and I miss dad asking us to text him when we get to the party, and I miss mom telling us to call her if we need a ride back home, and I miss…I miss _everything_ about not being home and not celebrating at _home_.”

“But we’ve spent New Year’s with friends since university…”

Aberdeen shook her head, the stray tears finally falling down her cheek slowly. “I know, but I was always… _home_. In _Toronto_. I’d come home and mom and dad would still be up and I’d get to hug them, and the next morning I’d get to hug Cam, and I can’t do that. I’m in a different country. It just feels weird and I don’t like it. I’m not trying to sound ungrateful. I’m just saying I don’t like it.”

“Aberdeen…” Siena sympathized with her sister. “It’ll be okay.”

“Will it, though?”

“Yes it will,” Siena affirmed. “It’s only one New Year’s. You’ll be able to see mom and dad when you get home, and I promise you it’ll be okay. They’re going to give you those really long hugs that you like so much. And this – Aberdeen, it’s _one_ house party with friends that you’re missing, but it’s not like this one is the last one we’re ever going to go to. We’re going to have plenty more together. I’ll have to hold your hair back as you puke in a toilet a few more times, I’m sure of it.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile slightly, wiping away the tears. Siena _did_ have to hold her hair back before, and she was sure she’d make her sister do it again. She was such a mess. If it wasn’t evident by the situation she found herself in with William, that definitely helped proved the case. “I love you, Siena,” Aberdeen said, meaning every word. She told her sister often, but she meant it every time she said it. “I love you and I miss you.”

“I love you too, Aberdeen,” Siena smiled. “When you get back from Winnipeg, we’ll spend all the time in the world together until I have to go back to Ottawa. Get back to your party, okay? I’m sure William is looking for you anyway.”

“Shut up,” Aberdeen shook her head, but she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face. “I love you. I miss you. Happy New Year.”

“I love you too. Happy New Year, Aberdeen. All your wildest wishes are going to come true.”

Aberdeen waited until Siena hung up before she locked her screen. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, her knees up against her chest as she shoved her phone between her legs. She needed free hands to wipe the tears on her cheeks away. She took a few deep breaths, trying to compose herself, fiddling with the rings she wore as she thought about everything. Was she being a big baby? Yes. Did she care? No. She missed her family. She even missed her annoying little brother. People always told her holidays would be the worst, and they were right.

She looked down at her hands. The ring William gave her stared back at her as she fiddled with it, its golden hue shining in the minimal lighting. She took a deep breath.

“There you are.”

She looked up. Of course, William was creeping through the door and the other end of the hallway. He closed the door behind him and began walking towards her. She didn’t know how long she’d been missing for, and she didn’t really care. “What are you doing in here?” he asked as he got closer. When he got close enough, even in the minimal lighting, he could see her ever-so-slightly red eyes. “Are you crying?” he asked worriedly.

“I _was_ ,” she admitted. There was no point in hiding it.

“Why, minskatt?”

She shook her head slightly. “I just miss my family. Being away from them on New Year’s is harder than I thought and I’m just handling it horribly. Like a big baby, really.”

“You’re allowed to handle it like a big baby,” William shrugged his shoulders. “I cried the first time I had to spend a holiday away from my family, too. We’ve all done it.”

“Does it get any better? Easier?” she asked.

He didn’t want to lie to her; the _last_ thing he wanted to do was lie to her, but he didn’t want to make her cry, either. “…No,” he was honest. “It doesn’t get better, but it gets easier. You learn how to deal with it.”

“Good to know,” she nodded absent-mindedly before pushing herself up to stand on her feet. 

When she faced him, he reached out and grabbed her hand, the one with his gifted ring on it. She didn’t flinch away. He hated seeing her so emotional. “What can I do to make you feel better?” he asked. He’d walk to Mars if he needed to.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing. It’s fine.” 

“You want me to sing and dance along to Abba?” he asked. It made her smirk. “You wanna kick a soccer ball into Kappy’s face?” he asked. It made her smile with her teeth. “You want me to go to Costco and get you a hot dog?” he asked. It made her snort. 

“You’re the worst, Will,” she mumbled through her smile. She rubbed her thumb along the back of his hand briefly before pulling her hand away.

“You want me to kiss you?”

She didn’t respond. But the smile on her face didn’t fade. He only saw the look in her eyes, the look of temptation, of regret, of wanting, of needing, of resisting, of refusing, all in one. The door opened again on the other side, Kasperi popped his head through. “Don’t you guys want to watch BTS perform in Times Square?” he asked. “Get back in here. Actually, Aberdeen, you should probably come first. Willy can stay in here until the ball drops.”

When she rejoined the party, the antics of all the guys kept her spirits up and almost, _almost_ made her forget about crying and missing home. There was dessert, someone suggested a game of pin the tail on the donkey (which was impossible), and there was, of course, what was on TV. When it was nearing only five minutes until the New Year, the champagne was poured and everybody started huddling close to the biggest TV. Pierre handed her a champagne flute. Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

William wrapped his arm around her waist. 

When the clock struck midnight, Aberdeen watched as Brendan kissed the bald head of one of the equipment guys. After downing the champagne flutes, everyone began hugging one another, wishing each other a Happy New Year.

William’s arm was still wrapped around her waist when he looked down at her. “Happy New Year, minskatt,” he smiled down at her, a flicker of love in his eye. 

“Happy New Year, Willy.”

***

Alone in her hotel room, Aberdeen had washed off her makeup and repacked her clothes into her suitcase, ready to leave tomorrow for Winnipeg. She was in her pajamas when she heard her phone buzz from the side table, where it lay charging. 

_im coming minskatt. open ur door_

The lightest knock followed. She opened her door and William slipped in. At this point, she wasn’t even angry. She wasn’t worried. She wasn’t… _anything_. She had accepted that William Nylander was going to show up at her hotel room in the middle of the night more than once. It was a fact of her life now. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m here to give you your New Year’s kiss.”

Before Aberdeen could say anything, William took a step towards her, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. It was soft, not too overpowering or greedy, and reminded Aberdeen of how she kissed him in her bedroom on Christmas. She didn’t pull away. She let him kiss her and _she liked it_. She liked it more than anything in the world.

When he pulled away, it was only slightly; only enough to look her in the eyes to make sure what he did was okay. When she pulled him back in, he got his answer. And as Aberdeen deepened the kiss, and as William wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, they both knew it was wrong, _so wrong_ , but that it felt right, _so right_. 


	17. Chapter 16

**January 9 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was going to go insane. 

This was, perhaps, going to be the busiest day of her life thus far. This morning was the outdoor practice in Nathan Phillips Square. She and Peter were responsible for co-ordinating the photographers, videographers, and the team to get down to Nathan Phillips Square. Once there, Aberdeen was responsible for helping to manage every single every single member of the media who were attending and covering the event, as well as Mayor John Tory and all the wives and girlfriends in attendance. And though she had the afternoon off to get ready, tonight was the Night With the Blue and White, the organization’s biggest and most important event of the season. She’d been studying the guest list for _weeks_ , making sure Brendan would know – or at least pretend to know, thanks to her – every guest in attendance, and Peter was doing the same thing for Kyle. She’d even bought a new dress and shoes for the occasion – fancier than anything she’d ever bought. She knew that a lot of important and influential people would be there donating their money to the MLSE Launchpad initiatives around the city. They were even hosting a grade three class of one of the schools who benefitted from the programs. It was going to be busy, but hopefully fun.

There were cameras everywhere. Aberdeen knew she’d probably get caught on a few of them, news ones or otherwise, but today, she didn’t care. There were more important things on her mind. Brendan was expecting a lot from her, and she knew she had to deliver. She knew she _could_ deliver.

When she had everything she needed from the office, she made her way down to the locker room. She entered quietly as she saw all the guys in their long johns and extra base layers, listening to Keefe and Hakstol as they explained how the outdoor practice was going to be organized into teams and tournaments and points. The energy from the guys was palpable and she could feel it within herself, too. Cameras were already filming. She saw William, already with his balaclava on, flash a peace sign to the camera pointed at him. 

When the guys began to put on their gear, she watched Brendan make his way across the room. He was already wearing his peacoat and scarf. “You ready?” he asked.

“As ready as I can be,” she smiled.

“Here, wear this,” he said, handing her a knit Leafs toque, the same one all the guys were wearing as well. “You’re gonna need it. It’s freezing out there.”

Aberdeen put the hat on as Brendan held her clipboard for her. After adjusting it, she looked up at him. “How do I look?”

If this was William asking the question to her, she would have come up with some smart aleck remark – a Costco hot dog or a bottle of Tums in assorted berries flavour. But because it was Brendan, he said something much nicer. “Like you’re a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he smiled. It almost made her swoon. “Now let’s get this party started, shall we?”

***

“Devon! Devon! Your slot is up to interview John as he’s walking. You cameraman is ready to go live in ten.”

“Carrie, stick with Travis for now. Goat? Where’s Goat? We need him for the French interview.”

“Gerry, you can interview Kyle now, but you only have two minutes.”

Aberdeen was practically skipping to keep up with all the players and media walking through the Toronto streets as they made their way to a full Nathan Phillips Square. She didn’t have long strides like these hockey boys did with her short little legs. She noticed all the interviewers being where they needed to be to go live and let out a sigh of relief. Walking through the streets of Toronto, going on the subway, and having fans, constructions workers, commuters, and more stop the guys left, right and centre for autographs and pictures and selfies was one thing, but once they got to the actual square, with all the media, it was going to be mayhem. 

And she needed to make sure they had Tim Horton’s cups around.

All the guys filed into the square, high fiving the waiting fans who were now screaming at their arrival before they went to the bench and started to put on their skates. Once they were all there and accounted for (Aberdeen honestly felt like she was on a school trip; she didn’t know how her mother did this with six year olds when she could barely corral a bunch of grown men), she made her way towards where the media was waiting. Peter was already there.

“Okay everyone!” he screamed out. Nobody heard him. “Everyone!” he screamed out again, louder this time, but still nobody heard him. “Journalists!” he tried one more time.

“ ** _HEY!!!!!_** ” Aberdeen screamed at the top of her lungs. Every journalist and cameraperson there turned silent and looked her way. Peter looked at her in shock, not knowing she was capable of such a volume. “Alright! Listen up! You each have a designated station to place your cameras. You are to stay in your station throughout the practice and not encroach on the space of the others! Journalists and videographers, you’re following Peter who will lead you to your stations, where you are to remain until practice is finished, where you will then go into the media scrum! Photographers, you are going to follow me and I will lead you to your stations. Is everybody clear?!”

Everyone nodded their heads and divided themselves easily, with Aberdeen leading the photographers one way and Peter leading the journalists and videographers another. When she got back to her original spot, that’s when she saw John Tory. “Mr. Mayor! Hello! I’m Aberdeen Bloom, Brendan Shanahan’s executive assistant,” she smiled and shook his hand. She noticed he was wearing a Leafs varsity jacket. “Follow me, sir. You get the sweet spot behind the bench.”

“You know, I look forward to this event every year,” he made small talk with her as they began walking. “Did you say you were Brendan’s personal assistant?”

“Yes sir. Although after getting the team on the subway and over here, I feel like I’m herding cats,” she joked.

John Tory laughed. He’d laughed at a dumb joke she made. Her dad would be so proud of her. He’d probably brag at the next dinner party he and Orla had. “You’re very lucky, Aberdeen. I bet a million people would kill for your job.”

“I agree, sir.” Aberdeen tapped Brendan’s shoulder to get him to turn around. “Mr. Mayor, Mr. Shanahan, I’m sure you’re well acquainted.”

The two men shook hands. Brendan focused his attention quickly on Aberdeen. “Would you mind meeting Jennifer Spezza and waiting for the others?”

Aberdeen nodded, leaving the mayor with him as she went back to the entrance, near the stairs to the subway. Once there, she saw Jennifer waiting patiently. Jennifer smiled once she saw Aberdeen, and extended her arms to hug her. “It’s always nice to see you, Aberdeen,” she smiled.

“You too, Jen.”

“A bunch of the girls are coming together – Emma, Kat, Steph, Audrey, Saylor, and Alexis are coming together and should be here any second. Aryne, Bee, and Alannah are running a bit late because of Jace, but only by like five minutes,” Jennifer informed her. 

“Okay, great. We’ll wait till everyone gets here and then I’ll bring everyone over,” Aberdeen nodded her head. 

“How’s the day been so far?”

Aberdeen shrugged. “Hectic, but fine.”

“Have you breathed?” Jen joked.

Aberdeen giggled. “Barely.”

Only moments later, Kat was running up the stairs with Niylah on a harness and leash, and Emma carried Ralph in her arms. Aberdeen pet the dogs until Aryne, Bee, and Alannah showed up. Aberdeen led them all to their designated area, and stayed with them as the practice happened. She liked them – they were a nice group of women, and although Aberdeen was never inserted into any supposed drama she may have heard rumblings about, she was sure they were all good people. Once they were all there, Aberdeen knew her jobs for the day were done, and that she _could_ breathe again. Unless Brendan called her to do anything else, she was free. 

“Aberdeen, are we going to see you tonight?” Bee asked as the girls sipped on the complimentary hot chocolate provided for them.

“You bet,” she smiled.

“Oooooooh!” Jen smiled from beside Bee, hopping excitedly. “What are you wearing?!”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Aberdeen winked.

“What colour is it?” Bee asked.

“Green.”

“ _Oooooooooooooh_ ,” both women cooed as they made eyes with each other and then Aberdeen. “You’re gonna knock all of us dead, Aberdeen. You always look so stylish around the SBA.”

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head nervously. “You guys are all way too glam for me.”

“Can I get a hot dog _pleeeeease_?” William’s loud, playful voice interrupted as he skated towards the entrance of the bench where all the girls were. He shot the girls one of his signature smiles before one of the equipment guys laughed and shook his head as he called behind him for another hot dog. He was handed one promptly, handing it to William who proceeded to stuff half of it into his mouth in one go. 

Aberdeen shook her head. Now he was just being obnoxious.

***

“William’s jaw is going to hit the _floor_ , Aberdeen,” Kasha mused as she took some last minute pictures of Aberdeen in her full look. She’d been hyping Aberdeen up for the last ten minutes as she snapped pictures of her in their apartment – pictures that would no doubt be on Instagram later that evening, pending some light editing and filter choice – even though she should have left for Evan’s place five minutes ago, choosing to spend the night with him so she didn’t have to spend it alone. 

“Shut up.”

“The _floooooooor_!”

Okay, maybe Kasha was right. Aberdeen looked good, and she _knew_ she looked good. She had on her new green chiffon dress, perfect for the occasion: ruched top, draped across her shoulders; triangle mesh cut-out on the bodice; pleated chiffon skirt dropping down to the floor. Nude strappy hells. Matching nude clutch. The evil eye ring Willy got her was the only piece of jewelry she wore. She gotten her hair professionally done at a salon: smooth and silky old Hollywood style waves with a centre part, held back by a fashionable and trendy velvet headband pinned in place so absolutely nothing would budge. Even her makeup was flawless: dewy skin, a neutral eye with lashes and liner, and Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Walk of Shame’ on her lips. She was a vision. She was owning every inch of her look.

Too bad she had to work tonight.

“Okay, I think my Uber is here,” Aberdeen said as she saw the notification on her phone screen.

“One more! _One more_!” Kasha yelled before Aberdeen posed one last time and Kasha took a burst of photos. “Okay, have a great night. Knock Willy dead—”

“—This isn’t about Will—”

“—Knock Willy dead, be fun, and stay safe,” Kasha ended. “You’re going to rock it, Aberdeen. And don’t forget to network!”

The Uber dropped her off about six cars down from the entrance to the Royal York Hotel – it was already busy with a bunch of arrivals, but she knew Brendan wouldn’t be there for at least another ten or fifteen minutes. Once she checked her coat in, she looked around, and Peter’s face was the first one she saw.

“Oh…oh my God, Aberdeen. You look so chic,” Peter smiled, looking over her outfit. 

“Oh, thanks Peter,” she smiled back. “You look quite dapper yourself. We clean up pretty nice, don’t you think?”

“I’d say,” he quipped. “Gotta make sure all these new suits fit before I go to the All-Star Game.”

Peter had been talking about the All-Star Game since at least Christmas. It was the event he looked forward to the most all season, even more than this, because of all the people he was able to meet and network with. This year, it was being hosted in St. Louis, and he, Brendan, and Kyle were going down together. She’d have at least eight days off during that time period. She was basically counting down the days. “Well, wear this one. You look good.”

“You want some champagne before our bosses get here?” he asked, already flagging down one of the waitresses. He took two flutes off the tray and handed one to Aberdeen. “To the dream job,” he said, raising the glass slightly.

Aberdeen smirked. “To the dream job.”

They both drank the champagne all in one go. Aberdeen loved champagne, and of course this was the _good_ champagne – so she almost immediately wanted another. When another waiter came by, they placed their empty glasses on his tray. Peter left to go to the washroom quickly before Kyle got there. Aberdeen was left alone.

That’s when she saw William.

He was in a suit, of course – a black, three-piece corduroy suit with a white shirt and black skinny tie – and his hair was tied back in a half ponytail like a European soccer player. He’d trimmed his beard since that morning at the outdoor practice for a much more polished look – still stubbly and a bit scruffy (just how she liked him… _fuck_ ) but presentable and respectable. Appropriate for a gala full of rich people. He looked great. The suit fit him perfectly. His hair was shiny as hell – probably shinier than hers. He stood confidently.

And then he saw her. 

His jaw dropped. Literally dropped. And when he finally realized it had dropped he brought his hand up to cover it, barely, his smile from ear to ear peeking through the weak attempt. She hated to admit it, but she loved having that effect on him – she loved having that _visible_ effect on him, one that made his jaw drop uncontrollably. She mentally prepared herself as he began to walk over to her. She knew she had to keep it cool. If he made her weak at the knees barely five minutes into her attendance at the event, she’d be a goner. 

“Hey Will,” she smiled, a twinkle in her eye that dared him to give her another up-down.

“Aberdeen…I…” he paused, unable to find the words. He even shook his head. “You…I… _wow_!” he giggled out. She really left him unable to form a cohesive sentence. But she waited it out, not saying anything until he said something. She wanted to make him suffer, if only a little bit. “You look beautiful, minskatt,” he finally said, four cohesive words in a row that made sense.

“Thanks, Will.”

“I mean…you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen on any day, but this…” he said, licking his lips. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to control myself all night.”

Aberdeen tried finding any hint of lie in what he was saying, but she couldn’t. He was too bashful and it was all coming out so sincerely – he really _didn’t_ have the words. “I think it helps we’re seated at different tables.”

“Just means the desire will grow until the end of the night,” he said. “So long as I get to look at you all night, I’ll consider myself a lucky guy.”

She was blushing at this point, and it wasn’t because of him blatant flirting – he was used to that. She was blushing more about the fact that he meant every word, that every word was so sincere in his tone, that she could _see_ how much she was really affecting him. “You flatter me too much, Will.”

“You deserve it, minskatt. You’re stunning. The most beautiful girl in the room. But how do I look?”

With nobody around, nobody to hear and nobody to record a witty remark, she smiled slightly. “You’re the most handsome man in the room.”

Before she could say anything else, Peter came back. And when Peter came back, William played it cool, and made some small talk before walking off, but as he walked off, he shot Aberdeen a look that followed her around the room. Wherever he was standing, whoever he was talking to – William was always staring at her, giving her that look, and it sent shivers down her spine as she tried to keep up a conversation with Peter.

Brendan and Catherine finally arrived, along with Kyle and Shannon, and Peter and Aberdeen got to work. Standing discreetly behind them at all times, they whispered the names of all the attendees who approached them throughout the party, starting in the foyer and moving into the Canadian room – the massive ballroom where everything would be taking place. And there were _a lot_ of guests. With over 1000 people in attendance, Aberdeen and Peter needed to know…well, probably around three hundred of them. She’d been studying for weeks.

“That’s Brian J. Porter, the President and CEO of Scotiabank.”

“Wendy Freeman, the president of CTV News.”

“That’s Gary Doncaster, of the law firm Doncaster, Perlman, and Dobbes.”

Brendan played it cool the entire time. After Kyle and Peter had separated from them for a bit, they rejoined each other. From practically across the room, she saw William sipping on a glass of water, watching her intently. He set it down at what she presumed to be his table. She tried to focus on the job at hand. 

“Peter?” she heard Kyle say suddenly, in a nervous voice. Someone and his wife were waving at him and Brendan, slowly making their way towards them, and Kyle clearly needed to know who they were. 

“Oh! Um…oh my God,” Peter began, panicking. “I just – I can’t remember what his name is. I—I _just_ saw his name this morning on the list.”

Aberdeen began panicking too now. She tried to urge Peter to figure it out, but he couldn’t get it. “It’s…oh, I know this! It’s something to do with…wait, he was…he was part of the…oh _God!_ I know this. Um…”

The man and his wife were dangerously close. Aberdeen swooped in behind Kyle. “That’s Malcolm Mercer, the Chair of the Government and Public Affairs Committee of the Law Society of Ontario, and that’s the woman he left his wife for, Rebecca.”

Aberdeen even surprised herself with that. She watched as Kyle politely greeted Rebecca first before shaking hands with Malcolm, starting some small talk with them. She looked over at Peter, who was already looking at her. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“I got you,” she nodded.

***

Brendan, Catherine, and Aberdeen were seated with Ron MacLean from _Hockey Night in Canada_ , and an array of other guests who had paid top dollar to sit with the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of whom was just a solidly rude aging man on his own personal power trip. Thankfully, he wasn’t seated next to her, or Brendan for that matter, but she could still hear him: the stiff comments, the complaints. Clearly, he only cared about sitting at this specific table. Aberdeen would have to make sure that if he attended next year, he was nowhere near Brendan.

There was a traditional Indigenous land acknowledgement at the beginning – the rude man rolled his eyes, which made Aberdeen want to kill him right then and there – followed by a speech made by Brendan – the rude man was on his phone for half of it, not bothering to listen to Brendan’s words of inspiration and gratitude to everyone who donated for the cause. When Brendan got back to the table, Christine Simpson came out, ushering in the grade three class onto the stage, the students all dressed up and walking in a straight line. They waved at their parents who were at their own tables, jumping and jiggling excitedly as little kids did. Aberdeen thought it was the cutest thing. Christine interviewed some of the students, asking them about school, hockey, meeting the Leafs, and about the integrated classroom and nutrition program at their school – key parts of the MLSE Launchpad initiative. The crowd was as enamoured with them as Aberdeen was. A part of her wished it could just be the kids talking all night. 

When their interview was over, the kids waved goodbye to the crowd before the DJ began to play them off stage. The opening notes of ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars began playing, and the kids went crazy. They stopped walking off stage. They looked around to try to find where the music was coming from, but soon enough, a lot of the kids began to dance – shimmying from side to side, pumping their hands in the air, and twirling on one foot attempting pirouettes. Christine was trying her best, but they weren’t moving. 

“Can someone get the kids off the stage so we can get a move on?” the rude man commented loudly, so loud Aberdeen could hear him above the music. She was incensed by his comment, her blood boiling. _How dare he_. How dare he say something when this _entire_ event was for charity – was for _these kids on stage_! 

So she took matters into her own hands.

She made a point to push her chair back as dramatically as possible, shaking the place settings on the table with the force of her hands. Everybody at the table looked at her as she rose from her seat and began making her way towards the stage. As she pulled the skirt of her dress up so she wouldn’t trip up the stairs, she made eye contact with one of the kids. And instead of shuffling him towards the back, instead of helping Christine, who had hall but given up, she extended her arms and grabbed the little boy’s hands in hers and began dancing with him. She was dancing on stage in front of over a thousand people with an eight year old. And she wasn’t embarrassed one bit. 

As she danced, she watched as William began to make his way up to the stage from the opposite end, rushing up exactly like she had and extending his arms to begin dancing with another student, a girl, twirling her around. Then she saw Bee McTavish, Morgan Rielly, and Jennifer and Jason Spezza, all at once, rush towards the stage too, laughing and dancing with the kids. Before she knew it, the entire team was up there, as were their significant others, dancing with the kids and each other to Uptown Funk for the entire duration of the song. Aryne and John, Saylor and Kasperi – they were all there. As she danced, she made eye contact with William, who was already looking at her, a smile spread out on his face from ear to ear. Jennifer gave her a double thumbs up. Bee was laughing at Morgan’s horrible dancing, but the kid he was dancing with was absolutely _loving_ it and mimicking every move. 

She barely noticed the crowd cheering and clapping along to the beat until the end of the song when there was a round of applause. The kids finally got their cue and began heading offstage. A few of them had to finish bowing before the audience, but once they were all gone, the team left the stage too, giant smiles on all their faces. When Aberdeen returned to the table, she saw the rude man staring at her indignantly. Meanwhile, Brendan was beaming. 

“Thank you for that,” he said as she took her seat beside him. Even Catherine was smiling. 

“You’re not mad I did that?”

“Are you kidding?” he asked. “That’s been the highlight of the night so far. It’ll probably _stay_ the highlight of the night.”

Aberdeen smiled. “I had to do something to get that guy at the other end to shut up,” she whispered.

“Oh, I know, believe me.”

The night went on with its regularly scheduled events. There was an interview portion with the big four European players – Andreas, Freddie, Will, and Kappy – in between the dinner courses. There was a Q&A with Jason and Zach as well, and the highlight of the night, which was a game of Family Feud with the Leafs Legends – Darcy Tucker, Curtis Joseph, Daryl Sittler, Wendel Clark, and Doug Gilmour – and some of the current Leafs – John, Morgan, Auston, Mitch, and Tyson. It was hilarious. Aberdeen teared up at one point because she was laughing so hard. 

After dinner there was a lot of mingling – a lot of meeting new people and speaking about her position because everybody was just _so interested_ about what Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant did all day – and a lot of…well, staring. William caught her eye around the room. Wherever he was, wherever she was, whoever he was speaking to, whoever she was speaking to, whenever she even so much as just glanced his way, he was already looking, and whenever he so much as glanced her way, she was already looking. He was true to his word in that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, that as long as he got to stare at her all night he’d consider himself a lucky man, because all he seemed to be doing was staring at her. And as the night progressed, he got closer and closer, eventually ending up in her circle, and although the guests were delighted to see _William Nylander_ , she was nervous but excited to see Will, Willy, the guy that so obviously couldn’t keep himself away from her. 

When the guests left, they were left alone. Aberdeen gulped. William looked pained. “I can’t take it anymore,” he said, only loud enough for her to hear, despite there being no-one around them. Brendan was on the other side of the room.

“Can’t take what?”

“You. In that dress,” he clarified. “You have no idea how good you look. Every time I look at you, I just…you—you _know_ how I feel about you, minskatt.”

When that nickname escaped her lips, tied together with the look on his face and the sparkle in his eye, Aberdeen almost melted right then and there. “Will—”

“Can we get out of here?”

“No, Will,” she giggled. Any other moment in time she would have scolded him for making the suggestion, but at this point she didn’t care. “I’m technically still working.”

“Then let me get you a drink,” he offered. “And let me take you home. _Please_ let me take you home after everything is done. I’m desperate here.”

“Desperate?” she decided to play with him. “Why?”

“Because of _you_. Because you walk in here looking like _that_ and you expect me to control myself? All I’ve wanted to do all night is be next to you. All I’ve wanted to do is be with you, be anywhere near you. And it’s torture. Torture that I can’t talk to you the way I want to talk to you. Torture that I can’t touch you like I want to touch you.”

A shiver ran up her spine. “You’re getting into inappropriate territory again, Will.”

“And I’ll say it again: can’t you tell by now that I don’t care that it’s inappropriate?”

The last time he’d said that to her, she replied with _“And can’t you see that I do care?”_ But she didn’t care anymore. She honestly didn’t. After what happened on Christmas (besides the fact that she was still wearing the ring – she hadn’t taken it off since) and on New Year’s, she knew that they had _both_ ventured on to the inappropriate territory equally. It was no longer just his fault, or the fault of his persistence. They were equally to blame here. She downed the last of her drink. “I like it.”

He had a confused look on his face. “You like what?”

“I like that you’re being inappropriate.”

Aberdeen couldn’t describe the smile that took over his face upon him hearing those words. They were six words that told him everything he needed to know. “Aberdeen, you can’t just say stuff like that and expect me to react normally,” he said, throwing her own words that she’d said to him so many times back at her.

“Maybe I don’t want you to react normally.”

“ _Aberdeen_! _William_!”

They looked to their side to see Bee McTavish approaching them. Aberdeen could tell William hated the interruption, but because it was Bee, he softened. “We’re gonna do some shots. Want some shots?”

The first shot was tequila. The second was a B-52, and Brendan even joined in. Aberdeen could feel herself getting more giggly with each millilitre of alcohol that went into her system. Giggly about the event. Giggly that she was taking shots with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Giggly about William.

***

“Just one stop at Nelson Street, please,” William said to the Uber driver as he slipped into the car after Aberdeen. Brendan, Catherine, Kyle, and Shannon had left the party early, so they weren’t able to see William confirming with Aberdeen that he could take her home, and they weren’t able to see him calling an Uber, and him grabbing their coats, and him leading Aberdeen to the much quieter side of the Fairmont Royal York for the Uber to pick them up so he could touch her waist and hold her hand and get close to her – closer than what was necessary – on a cold winter’s night while the rest of the guest list waited at the front of the hotel for cabs and Ubers. “I know it’s a short ride, but I’ll give you a big tip.”

He was holding Aberdeen’s hand.

“Do you still have all those songs I downloaded for you?” Aberdeen asked as the driver started moving.

William thought it to be a random question. “Of course I do. Why would I delete them?”

“I have a new song you need to add,” she said.

He smiled. “I added a song I heard on the radio that made me think of you,” he began to pull out his phone.

“Which one?”

He searched for the playlist in his Spotify, the former ‘Driving in Toronto at Night’ playlist he’d renamed to ‘Minskatt’. He scrolled down to the bottom of the list before he found it. He turned the volume on his phone all the way up before the opening notes of ‘Adore You’ by Harry Styles began playing. He’d heard it all over the radio since December, and not only did the beat and rhythm reminds him of the type of music Aberdeen liked and put on the playlist, but when he actually _listened_ to the lyrics, he knew he had to add it.

Aberdeen’s jaw dropped and a smile overtook her face. “This is it.”

“What’s it?”

“This was the song I was _just_ going to add.”

William smiled. “Does that mean I have superior music taste now?” he joked.

Aberdeen giggled. “You’re working on it.”

She began to sing, and William had never heard anything sweeter. She was louder than when she half-mumbled, half-sang ‘Style’ by Taylor Swift in the passenger’s seat of his car when they were driving on the Gardiner into the downtown core. Perhaps the shots had gotten to her, but they were so long ago and he was unconvinced. More than anything, he just hoped her walls had finally crumbled, that she felt like she could be uninhibited in front of him like he always wanted her to be. No degree of formality of being a hockey player and a personal assistant for that hockey player’s boss – instead, being just two kids in their early 20s falling for each other like they had six months ago when she wouldn’t shut up about her graduation or her writing or her favourite books and he couldn’t stop listening to her.

William didn’t know the lyrics off by heart like she did, but he was able to contribute certain lines he remembered. Certain lines that would hammer a message home. 

_I get so lost inside your eyes_

_Would you believe it?_

He looked at her when he sang them out loud, and she looked at him when she sang them out too, albeit more emphatically and with more swaying and dramatic hand motions. It was like they were admitting to each other what they were really thinking; what they couldn’t say to each other in the presence of other people, but what they _could_ say to each other alone in hotel rooms in the middle of the night or in the backs of Ubers after parties.

_Honey_

_I’d walk through fire for you_

_Just let me adore you_

_Like it’s the only thing I’ll ever do_

Aberdeen bit her lip after they sang the chorus to each other. She couldn’t believe they were doing this. She couldn’t believe how quickly her walls had fallen. She’d spent two months trying to forget him and four months trying to keep him at bay, only for the last three weeks to make all of that obsolete. “Willy?” she asked, her voice sweet as the second verse began to play.

“Minskatt?” he prepared himself.

“I can’t believe you added Harry Styles on your own free will.”

William snorted. This was why he was so enamoured with her. “I can’t believe you think I wouldn’t.”

They arrived at her building, getting out of the car and slipping through the front doors, nodding politely at the concierge before walking to the elevator. As they waited for it to come down, Aberdeen lay her head on William’s shoulder. “My feet are fucking killing me,” she whispered.

“Are they?”

“They’re, like, _pounding_ ,” she said. “They’re pretty to look at but _fuck_ they hurt.”

Before she could realize what was happening, William had scooped her up in his arms, shifting to carry her bridal style as the elevator pinged to signal its arrival. “ _What_ are you doing?” she laughed out.

“Being a knight in shining armour, clearly,” he smiled. He felt Aberdeen wrap her arm around the back of his shoulders as he stepped into the elevator. Aberdeen pressed her phone number. “Better?”

“Much.”

“Why do you girls even wear shoes like that if they hurt so much?”

She snorted. “You tell me. Men wore heels first,” she informed him.

“We did?!”

She nodded. “Apparently you guys wanted to show off your wealth and calves more than we did at first.”

William laughed in his signature way. “I do have some nice calves.”

When the elevator brought them up to Aberdeen’s floor, she rummaged through her clutch to find her keys, sticking them in the door to open in. Luckily, they could be as loud as they wanted since Kasha was spending the night at Evan’s; it prompted Aberdeen to hook her finger into the strap at the heel and throw off her shoes. William kicked off his shoes and walked through her apartment, carrying her to her bedroom. It was maybe a bold move, to go straight there, but he didn’t care.

“Wanna see me rip my eyelashes off?” she giggled as he finally set her down on the floor of her bedroom. 

“Your _eyelashes_?!”

“The fake ones,” she mumbled, just going for it. She saw a horrified look on William’s face, causing her to burst out into a fit of giggles. She threw the first one in the garbage before taking off the second, William still watching with a horrified look on his face. “What?” she smiled.

“That doesn’t hurt?” he asked.

“You get used to it,” she shrugged. “You know what they say Will. Beauty is pain.”

“My beauty doesn’t require pain.”

Aberdeen burst out laughing, William following with his signature giggle. She couldn’t control her laughing as she leaned her head against his chest, shaking it slightly before bringing it back up to look at him. “You’re literally the _worst_ , Will. No other guy on the team would say something like that.”

“No other guy on the team is as beautiful as I am.”

His tone made it come out like a joke, but Aberdeen couldn’t help but thinking he was right. There _wasn’t_ another guy on the team as good-looking as he was. She huffed out a laugh, turning around so her back was towards him. “Can you unzip me?”

It was a suggestive request, and she knew it. He unzipped her dress slowly as she pulled her hair out of the way for him. They were both still giggling as she felt the material of the dress become looser, and she was careful when he was finished to step out of it gently so she didn’t mess up the fabric or dirty it on the floor of her bedroom. She immediately brought it towards the hanger she’d left on her dresser, making sure to hang it in her closet neatly before turning back towards Will. It was only then that she realized she was in her underwear in front of him, the most exposed she’d ever been since…well…

She watched as he practically ripped off his tie; watched as he unbuttoned his shirt without a care in the world. His suit was probably custom made and tailored and cost over a thousand dollars but he didn’t even care. What was more alarming was that he was stripping and making himself comfortable _in her bedroom_. “Will—”

“You can change. I’ll look away,” he said, turning her back towards her automatically. 

That wasn’t even what she wanted, but damnit, he was good. She unclasped her bra and threw on her top quickly before stepping into her pajama shorts. “Um, I have to go wash my makeup off,” she whispered.

She didn’t wait for a reply as she stepped across the hallway into her bathroom. As she washed all of her makeup off, the seriousness of the situation crept up on her. William was in her apartment. He was in her bedroom. He was _undressing_. She knew he’d been in there before, that if he stayed over it wouldn’t even be the first time he’d slept in her bed, but it was still a big deal. It was still something that, really, truly, shouldn’t be happening in every sense of the word. But it was. And neither of them was going to put a stop to it. 

When she stepped back into her room, closing her door behind her, she saw William waiting for her to get into bed. He had nothing on besides his boxer-briefs. She knew that if they both got in there, there’d be no room. They’d be squished against each other. She knew this because it had happened before – the night they hooked up, and then the night after what Ethan did to her – it was the same situation. Standing now, in her room, looking between the bed and William, things felt… _different_. 

She climbed into bed, liking to be on the side closest to the wall, anyway. William followed her, even going so far as to start to pull the covers over their bodies as he snuggled in next to her. “Will—”

“Shhhhhh,” he cooed. “Aberdeen, stop freaking out.”

“But Willy—”

“I just want to lie down. We’re just lying down,” he said, his voice sleepy. He pulled her against him. She let him. He nestled his head onto her chest, under her chin and above her breasts. She let him. She could feel the contented sigh he let out as he settled into her, as her body relaxed into his, as she began running her fingers through his beautiful blonde hair. He let her.

“Will?” her voice was soft.

“Mhm?”

“You – I – you—”

“Spit it out, Aberdeen.”

“You could have any girl in the city, Willy,” she blurted out. She immediately regretted it. “ _Any_ girl in the city. W…Why do you keep – I mean, why are you here with m—”

“Because _I only like you_ , Aberdeen,” his voice was so soft, sleepy, tender. The most tender she’d ever heard it. “You still don’t understand?” 

Aberdeen hesitated. “I guess not.”

“Well… _I like you_ ,” he stressed his sentiment again.

“But why?”

“Because you make me nervous. And _nobody_ makes me nervous,” he said softly. “And because I like talking to you. And I don’t like talking to _anyone_.”

There was nothing more she could say; nothing more she could do. He always answered her question and always answered her honestly; he had never lied to her. He had laid it all out for her and she could either take it or leave it. 

Of course she was going to take it. 

***

Aberdeen woke up slowly the next morning _early_. Stupidly early, because of her natural alarm clock. In typical fashion, because William was in bed with her and there wasn’t enough room for the both of them, Aberdeen found herself semi-on top of him, her head on his chest and hair spread out everywhere; an arm draped across his torso. As she began to come to her senses, she took a deep breath and could smell him. He still smelled so good. So _manly_. And then, she realized his one arm was hugging her body against his, and his other lay directly on top of hers that was draped across his body, keeping it there.

She sighed contently. 

He was so big, so snuggly, so _warm_. Of all the people she’d snuggled up against in her short lifetime, William was easily the best. His body was like her own personal heater, and in the dead of winter, it was much appreciated. She’d always known he was big – big and thick and strong – but feeling him under her now was so much different. She’d almost forgotten what he felt like, but she could never truly forget something like that. 

When she moved slightly, mostly to stretch, she realized one of his thighs was between her legs. God, they were so fucking _thick_. Thick and strong, just like the rest of him. She moaned slightly, the feeling of their bare legs together really waking her up now. Before she knew what she was doing, before her brain could tell her body not to physically react to such a specimen of a body being in such close proximity to her, she moved again, rubbing her core against his thigh. It felt good. _Of course_ it felt good. She had been denying herself the pleasure she knew William Nylander could give her for six months now (besides their kisses), and if she wasn’t dangerously close to breaking every known rule, parameter, and boundary she gave herself when she got the job, then she was now. So close. _Dangerously_ close.

She rubbed her core against his thigh again.

And again.

And again.

He began to wake up, shifting slightly at the feeling of the friction of her against him. He moaned at the feeling and rubbed his eyes before opening them, and when he did their eyes met, drowsy and barely open but still looking at one another. “Minskatt?”

Aberdeen looked into his blue eyes. She couldn’t hold back anymore; couldn’t deny it anymore. 

She was going to do it.

She pushed herself up slightly, coming face to face with him, and began kissing him. No hesitation. No uncertainty. She knew she wanted to do it. That she _had_ to do it. That kissing William was as important to her right now as breathing. That kissing William _continuously_ – not just one little peck, not just a standard kiss – was what she needed. That feeling the scruff on his face along her fingers was integral to her well-being. That grinding against his thigh again, causing him to moan in her mouth before she got on top of him and straddled him, was what she needed to survive. 

She felt his hands squeezing her thighs, trying to feel every inch of exposed skin on her body as they wandered underneath her pajama shorts, then underneath her shirt, where he took sweet time inching higher and higher towards her breasts. He squeezed them in his hands gently, massaging them and pinching her nipples, causing her to squirm. She knew she didn’t have an ample set to worth with, but William didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t seem to mind because when Aberdeen grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, he looked at her exposed chest like it was the first pair of boobs he’d seen in his life. 

Aberdeen hesitated only slightly after she saw the look on his face. “Willy?” she breathed out.

“ _Fuck_ , Aberdeen,” he whispered in some sort of apparently disbelief – a disbelief that this was actually happening. That _she_ was the one to kiss him. That _she_ was the one to take off her top. It wasn’t even the first time he’d seen her exposed chest, but it still _felt_ like the first time to him.

Before she knew it, he’d wrapped his arms around her and flipped her onto her back, hovering over her with his big, thick body as he kissed and licked his way down her neck and towards her breasts. He took a nipple in his mouth, flicking his tongue and making her arch her back. She tried to catch her breath as she got used to feeling his mouth and tongue on her breasts. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew exactly _what_ to do to set her off, leaving her a writhing, moaning mess in her own bed.

Then she felt where his hand was.

She flinched at his touch on her hot core, but so desperately wanted more. After that initial flinch, she practically grinded herself onto his hand. “It’s so hot,” William mumbled before he kissed a trail to her other breast. “So wet already.”

“Will—” Aberdeen could barely get out once she felt William’s tongue on her other breast. “Will, _please_ —”

“Is that okay?”

“ _Yes_ ,” she nodded her head as he teased her some more. “Ta—Take them off.”

He did as he was told, his mouth leaving her breast so he could sit back slightly on his knees, hook his fingers into the waistband of her shorts, and pull them off _slooooowly_ , revealing every inch of exposed skin on her body. He could see her chest rising and falling dramatically as he let the shorts drop on the floor. “You okay, minskatt?”

Aberdeen nodded her head. She leaned forward so she could kiss him again, their hands exploring each other’s bodies – William’s hands gripping her thighs or breasts or teasing her hot core some more; Aberdeen’s hands gliding along the muscles on his abs and chest and shoulders before scratching down his back to the waistband of his boxer briefs. 

She tugged on them.

“Aberdeen—”

“Condoms are in the same place,” she whispered quickly.

“Aberdeen, are you sure—”

“ _Yes_. Yes yes yes,” she repeated, nodding fervently. 

William opened the drawer on her bedside table, grabbing at a packet. He ripped off the packaging and helped her push his boxers down before sitting back. Aberdeen helped him slide it on, much like the first time. When she lay back down, William moved to loom over her. 

William and Aberdeen looked each other in the eye as he guided himself near her entrance. When Aberdeen could feel him, she let out a shaky, excited breath. “Willy…”

“Yes, minskatt?”

“Go slow.”

William nodded. He began to push himself into her, and as he did, he saw her eyes close to bask in the feeling of him filling her up. He did the same, as it brought back all the memories from that fateful night six months ago, when they were in the exact same position as they were now. He remembered everything so vividly, but somehow, this all felt brand new. He remembered how good it felt, but simultaneously had never felt anything as amazing before. 

He went slow.

He could feel her nails dig into his shoulder blades and a small gasp of breath escape her as he bottomed out. He kissed her lips and the tip of her nose and back to her lips. “You okay?” he asked, his hair falling in between their faces.

Aberdeen nodded her head. She bought one hand between them and pushed his hair back tenderly so she could see his face. “Yeah,” she nodded.

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” she repeated, letting out another breath as she felt him pull out slightly before pushing back in. “I’d almost forgotten how good you feel inside me.”

“You’re perfect, Aberdeen,” he responded immediately after. He meant it in every sense of the word, because to him, she was. Plus, if she thought _he_ felt good, he has some news for her about what _she_ felt like. “God, you’re fucking _perfect_.”

He dipped down to kiss her again as he began moving in and out of her slowly. Aberdeen moved her hips in tune with his, and soon, all she felt was pleasure. Despite what was happening, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other, looks mixed with lust, love, desire, adoration, longing, and of course, the pining they’d been doing since that day they reunited in the elevator being exchanged between them. It had all led to this moment, this moment of pure, built up passion.

“Willy…f… _fuck_ ,” she whispered. “You feel so good, Willy.”

She watched as some of his hair feel in between them again, blocking his eyes. She brought a hand to push it back tenderly. They looked at each other for a moment before William said the words. “I love you, Aberdeen.”

She looked for a lie in his eyes. Any hint of a lie. A lie she found in Zane’s eyes. A lie she found in Corey’s eyes. A lie she found in any other boy’s eyes that she’d known. But she couldn’t find it. Not even the smallest hint. Nothing. And because of that, and because of the moment, she said the words too. “I love you, William.”

He kissed her, big and wet and sloppy and full of desire and want, and she kissed him back with equal amounts of desire and want, and when he began to move in and out of her quicker, and when she arched her back into his body, she knew was close, that they were _both_ close, and that they wouldn’t last much longer. 

“Willy—”

“Aberdeen—Aberdeen I—”

“Cum with me Willy. _Cum with me_.”

And they did. It hit them all at once, the wave of pleasure as Aberdeen’s walls tightened around William’s pulsating cock, and they rode it out for as long as they could before William collapsed on top of her, the both of them catching their breath and coming back down to reality. As they lay in her bed together, with William still inside her, the gravity of the situation didn’t need to hit them – they knew what they’d just done. They knew it broke every boundary and was against every rule in the book. But they didn’t care. William didn’t care. Aberdeen didn’t care. All that mattered was that they shared that moment of pure bliss together. 

William rolled onto his back and took off the condom, tying it before throwing it in the garbage near her bed. When he finished, he turned towards Aberdeen and they intertwined their limbs and bodies, drifting off to sleep again in each other’s arms.

***

The next time Aberdeen woke up, it was because she’d heard the front door slam shut and the sound of footsteps throughout the apartment. It meant Kasha was home, which also meant it was later in the morning than when she and William had first woken up and…well…

She shuddered.

As she did, she felt William’s body beside hers in her bed, spooning her from behind. Still naked from their rendezvous earlier, she could feel his cock against her as the hand of the arm that draped over her body cupped one of her breasts. His face was nestled into the crook of her neck. She didn’t want to move – she would have been perfectly content to stay in bed with him all day – but she knew they’d have to get up eventually. And more than that, they’d have to put on clothes before they went out there. 

“Willy?” she whispered softly, hoping he’d hear.

“Hmmm minskatt?” he mumbled against her skin. “Was that Kasha?” he asked.

“Yeah. And probably Evan,” she said. “We should get up.”

He peeled himself away from her body slowly, and she rolled from her side to her back so she could look up at him. He looked down at her, still naked for him. She smiled up at him and caressed his cheek, his stubble scratching her skin. A piece of hair fell in front of his face, and she pushed it back, making it a habit now. “Willy?”

“Minskatt?”

“Do you regret what happened?” she asked.

“Absolutely not. No,” he replied automatically, shaking his head. “Do _you_?”

“No,” she responded automatically as well. “I don’t regret any of it at all,” she ran her thumb along his lips. “But nobody can know. We can’t tell a soul.”

William nodded his head. In any other circumstance, if he had landed a girl as amazing as Aberdeen, he would be practically bragging to everybody about how lucky he was. But things didn’t work out that way, and everything was complicated. “Nobody will know,” he said in agreement. 

“No Brendan,” she began.

“ _That’s_ a given.”

“No Kappy,” she continued.

“No Kappy,” he agreed. Kasperi didn’t even know about the first time they’d slept together, so it would be no problem. None of the guys did. They all thought he just had a harmless crush. “No Kasha.”

Aberdeen bit her lip. “No Kasha,” she nodded her head. She knew she’d be able to make up a good story when they met each other outside her door. She knew what she had to do next. It would have to hurt them both. “No Alex.”

William nodded slightly. It would be hard not to tell his brother, but he knew he couldn’t. It was probably one of the few secrets he would keep from Alex. He knew he had to say the same. “No Siena.”

Aberdeen nodded. It would be the hardest thing she’d have to do. “Our secret only,” she whispered.

“Our secret only,” he repeated, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. “We can do it, minskatt.”

“I know we can,” she said, kissing him again. It went against everything she believed in, but she didn’t care anymore. She only had so much willpower to reject him. Now that they’d done what they’d done, and agreed to what they agreed to, there was no going back. She’d have to lie to the people she loved and respected most in her life. She’d have to lie to everyone she knew – her parents, her sister, her friends, her co-workers. 

She’d have to lie to Brendan. 

They got out of bed slowly, with William putting his boxers back on and Aberdeen throwing on her pajama shorts again and a crew neck sweater. She looked over at William and saw him searching for his dress shirt, crinkled on the floor. She threw one of her oversized University of Toronto hoodies at him. He laughed when he realized what it was, pulling it over his head. It fit a bit snug, but it worked.

The second Aberdeen opened her bedroom door, she heard the shower from Kasha’s ensuite turn on. She was happy – it gave her time to get breakfast started, to spend a little bit more of alone time with William, and to think of an excuse as to why William slept over last night. Not like this was the first time he slept over in the past four weeks.

She still couldn’t believe what this had become.

After washing her face quickly, she and William made their way into the kitchen, Aberdeen grabbing some pancake mix out of the cupboard. She grabbed some blueberries from the fridge too, putting them near the sink to wash them. As she began to pour the pancake mix into a bowl, she felt William come up behind her, pressing himself against her back as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Aberdeen?” his voice was soft, and suddenly sounded very nervous. 

“Willy?”

“I meant what I said earlier,” he said.

She was confused. “About not telling anybody?”

“No. _Earlier_ ,” he gave her another hint. When she didn’t respond, he knew he’d have to say it again. “That I love you, minskatt.”

Oh. _That_. It was said so passionately during them having sex that it felt like it was part of the experience. That it was completely natural and easy for them to say to each other, despite not officially being together, despite not even dating, despite Aberdeen trying to convince herself for months that she didn’t like him, despite William trying everything to make her realize otherwise. 

“I know it was in the heat of the moment,” his words interrupted her thoughts. They sounded so nervous and apprehensive. “But I meant it. I mean…I know. And I know that you said it back, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Or if you’re not sure or whatever. I just want you to know that. I won’t care. You can say it whenever you want. I just know that I do.”

Aberdeen turned around. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, now wearing one of her hoodies, and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. She said the only words she could say to him. The only words that, despite every boundary, despite every rule, despite every thought, despite everything she knew about herself, despite everything she _thought_ she knew about herself, she knew were true. 

“I love you too, William.”


	18. Chapter 17

**January 14 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was looking forward to the All-Star Break. 

With Kasha going to Aruba with her dad and the Leafs on the bye-week, she was looking forward to spending eight days completely alone and devoid of any work before she had to fly out with the team to Nashville. Though she’d just had a mini-break at Christmas, this was much more substantial. She knew she would be able to recharge and re-energize herself for the second half of the season – the second half she knew the team would have to push hard through to make the playoffs. Because not making the playoffs was _not_ an option. 

After what had happened four days ago after the Night With the Blue and White, Aberdeen had been in a weird place mentally. Though she didn’t regret a thing that happened that night, and she didn’t regret anything she’d said to William, what happened between them was still wrong. In every way, it was wrong. And because it was so wrong, and it went against everything she believed in, every boundary she put up for herself and put so much time and effort into upholding, she knew nothing could come of it. It couldn’t go any further. They couldn’t become boyfriend and girlfriend. They couldn’t date. They couldn’t do anything.

They _shouldn’t_ kiss again.

They _shouldn’t_ have sex again.

But was that actually going to happen? Or would their feelings get the best of them again and lure them further into a passionate affair they knew should not, _could not_ happen?

Five days ago, she had been pretending to be aloof about William Nylander. Four days ago, she’d had sex with him and told him she loved him. Three days ago, they’d started texting regularly, after months of one-sided text messages on his part. Two days ago, the team had suffered a bad loss to Florida 8-4, and they talked on the phone for what felt like the entire night about it when he got back into Toronto. One day ago, he’d FaceTimed her after dinner and she answered the call. Today, he promised her he’d score a goal for her and followed through with that promise.

Aberdeen was spiralling. She was getting lost in William, and William was getting lost in her. But she didn’t put a stop to absolutely any of it. 

After the game, she had to go back to her desk to pick up a few things she’d left there. Brendan had come back with her, going into his office secretively and shuffling some things around. Half of her wondered what he was looking for, while the other half didn’t care since she should be on her way home right now anyway. 

“Aberdeen?” he called from his office just as she had finished packing up her things. “Can you bring me the proofs so I can take them home?”

Aberdeen grabbed them from the drawer in her desk and walked into his office. He was looking over the score sheet when she held them in front of him, smiling, and he looked at her briefly before taking it. “The All-Star Weekend is one of the most important weekends of my entire year. We have three of the guys going. I need the best possible team with me,” he said, barely looking at her, though his voice was steady. “That no longer includes Peter.”

Aberdeen’s smile disappeared instantly. She realized almost immediately what he was implying. “Wait. You want me to…no, Brendan. I…” she exhaled sharply. “Peter—Peter would die. He’s been talking about the All-Star Weekend since _Christmas_. I—I can’t do that, Brendan, I can’t,” she shook her head. She knew how much it meant to him. Meanwhile, she was looking forward to sleeping in. They weren’t the same, and only one of them refused to go.

“If you don’t go, I’ll assume you’re not serious about your future…with the Toronto Maple Leafs or any other publication,” he said. He finally looked at her, giving her an up-down she wasn’t familiar with at all. Usually she got them for her looks or outfits – many girls did – but this was something completely different. An up-down from a boss that said he was sure of his decision and nobody could convince him otherwise; like he was saying _“Are you sure you want to say no to this”_ when they both knew she didn’t have the option. “The decision is yours.”

She couldn’t believe him. She couldn’t fucking believe that he had already made the decision for her. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t _need_ to go. Peter _wanted_ to go. Peter _needed_ to go. “But—”

“That’s all,” he said dismissively, like he usually did. He gave her one last knowing look. “Goodnight, Aberdeen.”

She stared at him for a brief moment before angrily turning on her heels and walking out of his office. She couldn’t believe she was just put in that position. There was no way she could say no after that, even if she’d wanted to. She knew that it must have meant that she had done _something_ right, after all the things she’d done wrong, but it was still taking an opportunity that wasn’t hers to take. Peter went to the All-Star Game. Peter mingled with all the players and GMs and Presidents that attended. Not her. She grabbed her jacket from her chair, threw it on herself, and threw her purse over her shoulder before walking out of the office.

She took the long way back to her apartment, despite the cold, to think things over. What had made Brendan and Kyle come to that decision? Who the hell brought it up? Who agreed on it? She needed answers that she’d never get. Back in November, when Mike Babcock was fired and Brendan and Kyle thanked her for not leaking anything to the press, she’d told Kyle how she would never burn the bridge she had with the Leafs and how she wouldn’t take advantage of the team or someone for personal gain. He’d said that she was young, but he appreciated someone with conviction. Did she still have that conviction? Did she still have that conviction now that she’d slept with William and put her job in jeopardy? Did she still have that conviction now that she was following through with what was basically an affair with William, which was against personal beliefs and company policy? Did she still have that conviction now that she was taking an opportunity from a co-worker, a friend, who had been nothing but nice to her and helped her along her rocky path instead of calling her Girl Friday and feeling her up in the staff kitchen? 

She didn’t know what to think anymore. In many ways, she didn’t know who she was anymore. She’d completely lost any sense of old Aberdeen. But the problem was, this – what she was feeling right now – wasn’t _new Aberdeen_. It wasn’t. She was still Aberdeen Bloom, just another version of her. She’d always had this in her. She’d always had the drive, and the work ethic, and the want and need to impress the people around her. The outcome had just been different. Before, it was good grades on essays or being published in _Acta Victoriana_ and the _Hart House Review_. Now, the outcome was taking opportunities from others – others she could put a face, name, and personality to. Others she called co-workers. Others she called friends. Before, they were nameless and faceless. 

Now they were named Peter. 

She didn’t know how the news would be broken to Peter, or when, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about it. Maybe it had already happened, for all she knew. She just hoped she didn’t have to be the one to do it.

***

**January 16 th, 2020**

It was maybe an hour before the game when Aberdeen felt the energy in the office shift. Kyle had just left Brendan’s office and had spoken with Aberdeen briefly about the happenings of the day, making sure she’d be in the box during the game against Calgary that night. Brendan had followed him out, for the most part, and when Aberdeen noticed him walking back, he looked serious. 

“Aberdeen, don’t forget to tell Peter,” he said before he popped into his office. He gave her one last look. “Do it now,” he encouraged, closing the door behind him.

She exhaled sharply. She was going to kill him. So they hadn’t told him, and they’d left it to her to do their dirty laundry. She was going to kill them both – she liked Kyle, but she’d kill him too. Now she had to find Peter, get him alone somewhere, and break the news to him. She got up from her desk and began to look for him – it didn’t take long, thankfully, because she found him scurrying through the hallways, like he always was. 

When he noticed her, he gave her a quick nod. “Hi, sorry, I know I’m late with the report Brendan wants—”

“No, Peter—” she tried to begin as she got closer to him.

“It’s just Kyle wanted a new scarf from Hermes, and he _did_ tell me yesterday, but I forgot like an _idiot_ and so I freaked out, of course—”

“Peter—Peter, I need to talk to you. There’s something I have to talk to you about,” Aberdeen stressed. 

Peter calmed down slightly. “Well, I hope it’s not another Brendan or Kyle problem, because I’ve got so much to deal with before I go. I swear to God, I—”

“ _Peter_ ,” she said sternly. “Can we…can we go inside your office? _Please_?”

Seeing how skittery she was, Peter agreed and led her into his office and closed the door behind him. He set his things down on his desk before turning to face her. “What’s going on, Aberdeen?”

She hadn’t prepared anything to say, so she knew she was going to just word vomit once the moment actually came. She’d tried to think of ways to say what she needed to say, but nothing came out right, and nothing softened the blow. She knew that no matter what she said or how she said it, Peter would be angry. “You’re not going to the All-Star Game,” she said plainly.

Peter looked taken aback by the statement, like he didn’t understand. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re not—listen, after the game against New Jersery, Brendan called me into his office and told me that he and Kyle decided _I_ was going, not you,” she said. She didn’t want to say Brendan’s exact words, how he needed ‘the best possible team’ and that it ‘no longer included Peter’. That would be _too_ harsh. 

“What do you…I…” he couldn’t formulate any words. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. “Did you say no?” he asked, his tone suddenly changing from one of confusion to one of anger.

“He was on the verge of practically _firing_ me if I said no!” she exclaimed. It was somewhat true, but mostly a lie. He was basically dangling every opportunity she could take advantage of in the future in terms of writing over her head. In Aberdeen’s mind, that was worse than firing.

“I don’t care if he was going to fire you or beat you with a red-hot poker! You should have said no!” Peter exclaimed.

“Peter, I didn’t have a choice!”

“Oh, _please_!”

“You know how Brendan is!” she tried to reason.

“That is a _pathetic_ excuse!” he turned away from her, so angry he felt ready to burst. Aberdeen didn’t know what to do. She knew he would react angrily, but she didn’t know just _how_ angrily. She also didn’t expect the blame game to be put on _her_ rather than Brendan and Kyle – the two men who actually made the decision. He was beside his desk at this point, having paced for a while to cool down. “Do you know what really just… _gets me_ about this whole thing? It’s that, you know, you’re the one who said you don’t really care about this stuff, and you don’t really care about hockey. You want to be a _writer_. What a pile of _bullshit_!”

Aberdeen winced. “Peter, I know you’re mad. I don’t blame you—”

“Face it, Aberdeen. You sold your soul the day those boys took you out to dinner in St. John’s. _I saw it_ ,” he accused, his voice so scathing that a lump formed in Aberdeen’s throat. “And you know what really just kills me about this whole thing, is the people you are going to meet…I mean, you don’t deserve to! You don’t even like hockey, for Christ’s sake! God it’s so unfair!”

Being chosen over him was one thing. But being told by Peter she didn’t deserve it was another thing. She tried to remember that he was really angry, that his dream had essentially been snatched away from him, and that’s why he was saying all these mean things, but it got to her. She’d been working hard since the day she stepped into the office, and he’d been _helping her_ , and even though she had her fair share of gaffes and slipups along the way, it didn’t cover up the fact that she worked _hard_. In his anger, Peter didn’t see that. “Peter—”

“Just go,” he said, his voice softer as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

“Peter, I—”

“I said _go_!”

Aberdeen sighed. At that moment, she knew there was nothing she could say, and nothing she could do to calm him down or soften the blow. He was angry at her, and he’d stay angry at her for the foreseeable future, until he got over her going to the All-Star game – _if_ he ever got over it. 

***

The boys had lost 2-1 in a shootout. William had scored the only true goal of the game, but she was so despondent she almost didn’t even care. The conversation she’d had with Peter kept playing over and over in her head. Brendan could tell, apparently, because he let her leave right after the game. 

It was barely less than five minutes from when she got home that her phone buzzed on her kitchen countertop. She’d placed it there so she could take a swig from the bottle of wine she and Kasha had opened last night. 

_can u buzz me in?_

_don’t want to wake kasha_

She pressed the button and kept the condo door open with her boot. When William walked through the door, still in his game day suit, she was taking another long swig. His eyebrows immediately furrowed. “Are you alright?” he closed the door and locked it behind him. 

She didn’t know how to answer that question. She gulped her wine. “I’m going to St. Louis.”

“You’re going to St. Louis for the All-Star Game?”

“Mhm. It just happened,” she nodded her head.

“That’s one of the biggest weekends of the year.”

“Mhm.”

“I mean, are you going with Brendan, Kyle, and the guys?”

“Mhm.”

She could tell he was trying to piece together why this was affecting her so much – why it was making her swig a bottle of red wine and not bother getting a glass. “I thought the All-Star Game was a big deal for Peter, or…” he tried to clarify.

_God_. If even _Willy_ knew about how much it meant to Peter, then it was an even bigger deal than she thought. “Great. Now you’re gonna give me a hard time too?” she demanded, setting the wine down on the counter before stomping her way towards her bedroom. 

“Hey hey hey, Aberdeen. Aberdeen—”

“I didn’t have a choice, okay? Brendan asked me and I couldn’t say no. He was dangling every future opportunity for writing over my head,” she whipped around to talk to him. 

William had dropped his bag by the door before he approached her, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time,” he said softly. “I just…that’s _news_ , that’s all. The guys know that it’s usually Peter that goes. But if you’re going now you must have done something right.”

“But I don’t know what I did,” she melted into him. She could feel herself get emotional. “And I don’t want to take that opportunity away from Peter. He _lives_ for All-Star Weekend.”

“Minskatt, you didn’t take an opportunity away from Peter, you _earned_ an opportunity to go,” he encouraged her to think of it differently. 

She sighed. She didn’t really want to talk about it anymore – talking about it more just made it worse for her. She wondered if Peter was throwing plates against the wall in his apartment. “I think I’m more upset about not getting a full eight days off,” she mumbled, causing William to giggle. She looked up at him as he still had his arms wrapped around her comfortingly. “Can we cuddle?”

William smiled down at her. “I even brought a proper change of clothes this time.”

They made their way into her bedroom, William bringing his bag with him. They changed into their pyjamas. Minerva was already rolled up in her cat bed, but when she saw them, she meowed and jumped on the bed. As Aberdeen looked at William move about the room, she realized that she felt so comfortable already, so at home in her bedroom that he moved around without any hesitation. He even pulled back the covers himself, knowing she wouldn’t mind, and got in first, holding the covers up for her to get in. Minerva ended up curling up at his feet. Even her damn cat couldn’t get enough of him. 

She stood hesitantly. She stared at him. “Just cuddling.”

William stared back at her. He nodded his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Just cuddling.”

She got in. William draped the comforter over her and they got comfortable. Almost immediately, she melted into his touch as he wrapped his arms around her, his big body engulfing hers just the way she liked it. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of it. They closed their eyes and settled into a comfortable silence briefly. “I’ve never even seen your place before…” Aberdeen thought out loud. They’d only ever met up at her place.

“It’s your typical place,” he said. “Kitchen, bedroom, whatever. I haven’t bought a place here yet so nothing is really my own. I’ve got a bigger bed,” he joked.

“ _Everybody_ has a bigger bed than I do.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he dismissed it. She felt his lips on her neck as he kissed her tenderly. “I like cuddling.”

***

**January 21 st, 2020**

Aberdeen had spent the last three days alone writing. 

Kasha had gone on a last-minute trip to Aruba with her dad, so Aberdeen took the time in solitude with Minerva to write anything and everything that came to her mind. A lot of it was about the last six months. Not about her illicit love affair with William, but more important things: growing up, facing the truth about yourself, getting your first ‘big girl’ job and having to survive in a male-dominated environment. More than anything, Aberdeen liked to think it was about the overarching and universal truths people in their early 20s had once they left university and entered the real world, where things were tricky and few people were nice and there was almost always an overwhelming sense of _‘What the fuck am I doing?’_. 

William had gone to Augusta, Georgia, to golf with some of the boys. He’d texted her when he got there, plus some photos of the golf course and some selfies he snuck while the other guys teed off. She mostly sent him back pictures of her laptop with a Word document open, or pictures of Minerva sprawled out on her bed or couch. At night they’d keep up a conversation, when he wasn’t on the course. She wondered if any of the guys wondered who he kept texting all time, or if he was able to keep in discreet.

She missed him.

She hated to admit it, but she did. She missed his stupid blonde hair and his stupid scruffy beard and his stupid thick body and his stupid tender touch and his stupid laugh that was like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony to her stupid ears. She missed cuddling with him. She missed seeing him at the rink. She missed everything about him even though she shouldn’t. 

When she finished editing one of her personal essays, she decided to call it a night. As she cleaned up the kitchen, putting the last of her dishes in the dishwasher, there was a knock at her door. She paused briefly because she wasn’t expecting anyone. 

She looked through the peephole, only to see William in one of his absolutely _stellar_ (read: awful) casual traveling outfits. She opened the door. She saw he even still had his suitcase, telling her he came straight from the airport. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, finding herself moving out of the way for him. When she shut the door behind him, she ended up with her back against it.

He walked in to her apartment with ease, wheeling in his bag and leaving it by the closet that held the washer and dryer. “You said Kasha is in Aruba with her dad.”

“Yeah…”

“And it’s the bye-week. I just got back from Augusta.”

“Yeah…”

“So…that means we can be alone,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You’re really going there, aren’t you?” she asked as she watched him approach her.

“Did you expect anything less?” he asked, so close that now she was trapped between his body and the door. 

She shook her head. “No. No I didn’t.”

And then he kissed her. And he couldn’t stop. And she kissed him. And she couldn’t stop. And he pinned her against the door, his knee going between her legs as he raised her hands above her head briefly before bringing his own hands down so he could pick her up. She stuck her tongue down his throat. He squeezed her ass. She wrapped his legs around him. 

He sighed contently, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “God I miss you so much,” he mumbled against her lips. 

“Me too,” she admitted out loud as he bit down on the skin of her neck. 

“Bedroom?” he asked quickly.

Aberdeen should have said no. _Should have_. But instead, she nodded her head. 

***

**January 22 nd, 2020**

The notebook was wide open on the coffee table in the living room, a blue Muji pen in the spine, the bookmark ribbons sprawled out. It was the only thing on the table besides a giant three-wick candle. William knew he shouldn’t look at it. It was the middle of the night, for heaven’s sake. But as he drank his glass of water, he became more and more curious as to the contents. The pages seemed full of beautiful cursive.

So he sat down on the couch. He picked up the notebook.

**_Maple Leaf Forever_ **

_The job interview went horribly. I was sure I’d offended Brendan Shanahan, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. To make matters worse, the outgoing executive assistant told me, before I entered his office, that I was deeply unqualified for the job. I didn’t watch hockey; I had no clue who Mats Sundin was._

_It came as a shock, then, when Brendan called me back into his office and told me I was his new assistant._

William read on, completely enamoured with the words he was reading on the page. He flipped through the notebook and read the entire personal essay. Then he flipped backwards to the previous piece she wrote, and read that too. He saw the scribbles and the crossing out of entire lines and paragraphs. He saw planned out notes. He saw poetry.

_Sometimes William looks at me like he’s the spoon and I’m the dish of ice cream. I wonder if he sees that, in my weak moments, I look at him the same way………._

_I’ve gotten used to the sounds of the blades scratching the ice. Quickly, it has become one of my favourite sounds………._

_I am a daughter of immigrants._

_I am a granddaughter of the Iranian Revolution._

_I am a daughter of The Troubles._

_Revolution and change course through my veins………._

He saw and read so much of her writing that he felt like he knew her so much more now. There were so many things about her, so many things in her mind, that she hadn’t told him yet; so many things he longed to learn so he could know her fully and completely. He didn’t want to know surface-level Aberdeen – he knew that Aberdeen already. He wanted to know what was inside Aberdeen. The deeper parts of her. The parts that he could love more. The parts that would make him even more hopelessly in love with her.

No wonder she was already published in those two literary journals. And no wonder she wanted to be a writer. She was a _great_ writer. She had a way with words. He couldn’t believe that after sending out her work everywhere, nobody chose to publish it. They were stupid. She was fantastic. 

And he wasn’t just saying that because he was in love with her.

***

**January 23 rd, 2020**

“Have you ever thought about sending your stuff to Toronto Life magazine?”

William asked the question as he sat opposite of Aberdeen in her bathtub. Their bodies were submerged, a bath bomb thrown in, and everything was quiet. _Everything_. The only sounds made were the slight splashes of water if they moved a hand or if William grabbed at her leg. They had been staring at each other for a while, the heat of the water still soothing them and their bodies. 

Aberdeen stared at him. “Of course I have.”

“Have…have you already?” he asked timidly, not wanting to bring it up in case she did and they rejected her.

“No,” she said. He was relieved. “Their writing is, like, top tier. I don’t think I’m there yet. Even the personal essay submissions they have in the back of the magazine are phenomenal. The stories are amazing. I don’t think anybody wants to hear from a 21 year old single white female.”

“But your voice is so amazing,” he said without thinking.

“How would you know? You’ve never read my writing.”

There was a silence between them. He knew he couldn’t tell her that he’d read her writing when she was asleep after they’d had sex. He also knew he couldn’t lie to her, not while they were in the tub together during such an intimate moment, and not ever. “Come here,” he said. She hesitated. “Come on. Come here.”

Aberdeen shifted in her bathtub slowly, so no water would spill out, and moved so that she was cuddled against William now, her back against his chest. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, one right beneath her breasts, the other dangerously close to her core. If the hot water hadn’t relaxed her enough, his hands on her breast and near her core definitely did. She sighed happily as she felt him massage her breast and pinch her nipple. She felt his cheek against the crown of her head before her tucked his face into the crook of her neck, giving her a light kiss on her shoulder. “I never want you thinking that your writing isn’t good enough to be submitted somewhere. You should be submitting it _everywhere_. Everything you write,” he whispered softly.

“But Willy, you’ve never—”

“Listen,” he cut her off gently. “I saw one of your notebooks on the coffee table the other night, and I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry. But you’re _good_ , Aberdeen. You’re really good. You write and it just flows, and I…I don’t know how to explain it in any other way, because I’m not as good as you, I’m not good with words and speaking and stuff, but it was amazing.”

Aberdeen stayed silent. William was nervous, having admitted to snooping and reading her writing – at least _some_ of it – but the fact that her body didn’t stiffen when he did admit it gave him a glimmer of hope. Then again, she could just have been processing it and getting ready to throw him out of her apartment naked with his clothes thrown out the window. When she finally spoke, she said something William wasn’t expecting. “I just don’t think anybody would want to hear what I have to say.”

He shook his head, giving her another kiss on her shoulder. “I think everybody _should_ hear what you have to say.”

“You’re just saying that cause you’re feeling me up right now,” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice.

William smiled. “Am not. You’re so good, Aberdeen. Fuck anybody who has ever told you otherwise.”

Aberdeen knew what he meant by that. She knew he didn’t mean fuck the editors or the copywriters – they were just doing their job. What he was saying instead was fuck any person in her life that told her she couldn’t make a career out of writing. Fuck Zane. Fuck Corey. Fuck any other guy who made her feel horrible about herself, who belittled her ambitions, who thought she should pursue something different. Fuck them all. She craned her neck to look back at him, and brought her hand up to caress his face as she kissed him. “I can read you some more when we get out of here,” she whispered, her lips still close to his. “If you want.”

“I’d love that.”

***

“More.”

William stared directly into Aberdeen’s eyes as they cuddled on her couch. “More?” she questioned.

“More,” he affirmed. She began reading her writing again.

***

“More.”

Aberdeen hooked her leg around his waist as they lay in her bed together. “More?” she questioned.

“More,” he affirmed. She began to read her writing again.

***

“More.”

William looked up at Aberdeen as she straddled him. Pants firmly _on_. He just wanted to sit this way. He was intensely comfortable with her on top of him. She didn’t seem to mind either, especially since his hands found her thighs. 

“If I read you any more, I’m going to have to start taking out my high school diaries,” she joked.

“Then do it,” he squeezed her thighs and dragged his hands up to her hips. “I want more.”

“Willyyyyy…” she dragged his name out, the smile still on her face as she bent down to give him a kiss. Her old notebook from university was between their bodies.

“More,” he mumbled against her lips. He genuine wanted to hear more, but he couldn’t stop kissing her. He could feel the old notebook press against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, and could hear it fall to the floor as he moved to pin her underneath him.

***

**January 24 th, 2020**

“It’s going to be fun. I promise,” William said as he peppered Aberdeen’s face with kisses, unable to let her go just yet even though their shoes were on and their bags were packed, the early morning sun peeking through the windows of her apartment. “You’re going to meet so many cool people.”

Aberdeen sighed. She knew this was an amazing opportunity, and she was going to take full advantage of it, but she wanted just a bit more time with William. All they had done over the past three days was eat good takeout and have great sex. Oh, and read her writing, of course. It quickly became her favourite three days of the break – so much so that she didn’t want it to end. Whenever she was with William, she didn’t want to be brought back down to reality, back down to face the fact that what they were doing was wrong.

“You just gotta promise some other guy doesn’t whisk you away to another team,” William added.

Aberdeen giggled. “ _Please_. Like _that_ would ever happen.”

“I don’t know, minskatt. You’re really cute. I might have to ask Auston or Fred to keep an eye on the other guys.”

She chuckled, burying her head into his chest. She couldn’t let go of him either. She didn’t want to – at least not yet. “Are you gonna miss me?”

William didn’t even answer. Instead, he leaned down and gave her a long, drawn out kiss, one that made her sigh into his mouth and left her begging for more. It answered the question for her. He watched as she licked her lips. “You’ll be in Nashville?” he asked. She nodded. “Dallas?” he asked. She nodded again. “Can I come see you after the game?” he asked one more time.

She knew that meant he wanted to come to her hotel room. He’d snuck in quite easily before, obviously, and nobody had suspected anything, but they still had to be extremely careful. “We’ll see,” she said, not wanting to confirm or deny. For all she knew she’d have a room next to Brendan. 

William accepted what she was prepared to give him. “We’ll see.”

She looked down at her watch. Brendan and Lou were supposed to be there any minute. In less than six hours she’d be in St. Louis, and in just less than twelve she’d be watching the Skills Competition. “I should start heading down,” she said, even though she was reluctant to do so. “Remember to wait until I text to come down and leave.”

“Do you have to go?” he asked sheepishly. 

She smiled. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him one last time, giving him the same long, drawn out kiss he’d just given her. “Bye Willy.”

William bit his lip. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He smiled. It wasn’t just a one-off. “Bye minskatt.”

“Don’t miss me too much,” she said as she opened the door to her condo. 

He was holding on to her hand until it was too far away for him to grasp. “Impossible.”


	19. Chapter 18

**January 24 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was amazed.

The welcome reception that the NHL planned in the hotel was full to the brim of what seemed like every NHL president, general manager, and their assistants mingling and munching on perfectly prepared hors d’oeuvres. Everybody was staying at the Ritz-Carlton, a fifteen minute drive from the Enterprise Centre where all the hockey-related festivities were taking place. While the all-stars had already been bussed to the Enterprise Centre, she was here with Brendan and Kyle, trying to assert her presence in a room full of men who thought they were gifts to God’s green earth. She wondered if any of the other executive assistants – a good 99% male, from her observations – felt the same way. It was when she was standing in that room that she realized how much of an anomaly she truly was, and if some guy gawked at her because he hadn’t seen a female since October, she wouldn’t be surprised. Hockey was an old boy’s club, and there was no better proof for that than the makeup of the people in this room. 

Many people came up to speak to Brendan and Kyle – Aberdeen thought they were almost like the star debutantes at the ball, except one debutante already had three Stanley Cup rings; the other debutante was like the belle of the ball, as one of the youngest GMs in the league, and everybody wanted to talk to him. The only thing they’d do is give Aberdeen a quick nod after they finished their conversation before walking off. It was like she ceased to exist, or existed only as a figure to nod to once the discussion with the ‘big boys’ was over. Nobody was giving her the time of day. She didn’t even know why she had to come here and do this when—

“Aberdeen,” Brendan’s voice cut off her thoughts. She straightened out her back and looked more attentive as he looked back at her. “Who do you think will come and speak to us next? Let’s make a bet.”

She smiled. She knew that instead of sulking she should be working the room as much as possible, inserting herself politely into conversations Brendan and Kyle would have with some of the other presidents and general managers. “BriseBois has been eyeing Kyle for five minutes, so twenty bucks and an extra day off says it’s him,” she said confidently. 

Brendan laughed, as did Kyle. “My bet’s on Ken Holland,” Brendan quipped. “Here to talk to us about Tyler Ennis. Everyone knows they want him. Hometown boy.”

“It’ll be Sakic. To talk to us about Naz,” Kyle said.

“DUBBIE!”

All three of their heads turned to see Brisebois smiling and making his way over. Aberdeen smiled. She leaned into Brendan. “I’ll take that twenty bucks in a Starbucks gift card.”

***

Aberdeen thought that maybe Frederik Andersen should be the one seemingly babysitting Auston Matthews, but she digressed. Because he was attending the All-Star Weekend but not actively participating in any of the festivities due to his slight wrist injury, he was free to do (what seemed like) whatever he wanted. He could visit both locker rooms, he could chat with all the guys, he could take pictures with everyone. All she had to do was make sure he got to the benches during the Skills Competition and she could consider it a job well done. 

She didn’t want to follow him into the locker room – that was a bit much – so she stood outside and watched as he interacted with Fred and Mitch before moving on to some of the other players: Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, and Mathew Barzal, for the most part. When he was finished, he looked almost surprised that she was still there waiting for him.

“They’re going on in ten. Where should we be?” he asked.

“I’m just gonna lead you down quickly, but I’m watching with Brendan,” she informed him as they began to walk down the corridor together.

“Aw, come on. You can’t keep me company?” he asked.

“There’s _no way_ I’d be caught dead on a camera beside Auston Matthews, thank you very much,” she joked, but at the same time, was totally serious. If even one hair on her head was caught on camera, she was sure Auston’s fangirls would know her name, address, social security number, and blood type within the hour. “Let alone at the All-Star Game. And let alone with you looking like _that_.”

“Like _what_?!” he wailed. 

“Oh, _come on_ Auston. You look like you were a cast off of Anchorman and you know it.”

“I’m fashionable.”

“If you say so,” she rolled her eyes. 

“I thought those types of comments were only meant for Willy, anyway.”

“They’re meant for _any_ of you when you look like _this_ ,” she covered herself, giving him a full up-down, causing him to laugh and shake his head. 

They walked past the Western Conference locker room, bustling with all the players and the media walking in and out of it. Auston stopped again to say hi to some guys that he could see – Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid – before Aberdeen watched another player making his way towards them.

“This your girl, Matthews?” Matthew Tkachuck asked, a devilish smile on his face.

Aberdeen crinkled her brows. _Gross_. “ _Ew_ Matty,” she watched Auston as he made a face. “This is Shanahan’s executive assistant.”

“Oh!” Matthew’s face and demeanour completely changed as he took off his glove to shake her hand politely. “I’m Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. It’s nice to meet you.”

Aberdeen laughed at how these boys could switch from being rats one second to upstanding gentlemen the next. “Nice to meet you, Matthew. How do you know Auston?”

“U.S National Development Program,” Auston answered for him. “We were on a World Junior team together.”

“Yeah, not to mention I was on a line with Mitchy in London,” Matthew added, referring to his junior career with the London Knights of the OHL. “It’s like I’m practically on the Leafs,” he smiled.

“You _wish_ ,” Auston scowled. 

“You’ll be on the bench watching, yeah?” Matthew directed his question towards Auston. Auston confirmed he would be. Matthew’s attention went back to Aberdeen. He gave her a _very_ visible up-down before biting his bottom lip. “How about you? You gonna be on the bench with Auston?”

“I’ll be sitting with my boss, but thanks for thinking about me,” she smiled over-politely. She heard Matthew chuckle but he still didn’t take his eyes off her. “We should go, Auston. I don’t want Gary Bettman angry at me for keeping the star of Toronto backstage for too long.”

Matthew said his goodbyes. Aberdeen and Auston continued walking down and around the corridors until they came to the entrance to the ice. Some of the arena workers, recognizing Auston, began showing him the way. “Now stay here and be good,” she said.

Auston smiled mischievously before winking and walking away from her. “Only for you, Aberdeen.”

“And tell Matthew Tkachuk if he even _thinks_ of me, I’ll kick him in the balls.”

“Will do, baby.”

***

She saw the number pop up on her phone and the request for a FaceTime call. She hesitated at first, not knowing if she should accept. Sure, she was alone in her hotel room, it was late at night, and she was sure everybody had gone to bed, especially Brendan and Kyle. Nobody would be knocking on her door. Nobody would be calling her asking her to get a suitcase ready so they could take a private jet to Phoenix to fire a head coach. And even though her first thought was that this had to be some sort of practical joke, she quickly reconsidered. The last time this was requested it was in the back of a cab and an automatic no.

Not for anything, but less than 24 hours ago he was _in_ her.

So she accepted. 

William’s face popped up on the screen. He was clearly already in his pajamas, his hair tied back with an elastic atop his head. Aberdeen remembered that Toronto was an hour ahead, so it was even later for him. “Hello minskatt,” he smiled.

She’d just showered, and her hair was in a towel. She tugged it off so she didn’t look too ridiculous. “Hey Willy.”

“How are you, minskatt?” he asked sweetly, biting his bottom lip slightly as he watched her hair fall out of the towel. “How was today? Long day?”

She nodded her head. “Long but good. I met a lot of the other GMs. Well, most of them just sort of nodded their head at me after having conversations with Brendan and Kyle before moving on. It’s like they don’t know how to speak to women.”

“They probably don’t,” he quipped. “Did Auston behave?”

She smiled. “Yes, Auston behaved.”

“So I don’t need to kick his ass?”

Aberdeen giggled. “No. You’d _never_ , anyway. He’s one of your best friends.”

“I’d still kick his ass if he gave you a hard time.”

She continued to smile. “How was your day? What did you do?”

“Miss you all day,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. She did that a lot today between him and Auston. “What did you _really_ do?”

He shrugged. “Went to the gym. Talked with my brother. Just the usual boring stuff. Nothing as exciting as what you did.”

“Nothing I did was too exciting,” she admitted. She hated to admit it, but it was true. “I don’t mean to be rude when I say that. It’s just – I could have networked, I really could, I mean I know how to work a room, but these guys just weren’t having it. Well, everyone besides Julien BriseBois from Tampa. He was super nice.”

“It’s okay, minskatt. I’m sure tomorrow will be better,” he said encouragingly. “There’s a luncheon, right?”

She nodded her head, a bit surprised that he remembered her schedule. She hoped that would run smoother than what had happened today at the welcome reception. But now, at this moment, with Willy on FaceTime and two more days until she got to see him in Nashville, she didn’t want to talk about work. She’d only left him this morning and she was already missing him. “Hey Willy?”

“Hmm?”

“I…I’ve never really asked, but why do you always call me that? Minskatt?” she asked.

“Because that’s what you are,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

She knew that it meant _‘my treasure’_. She remembered that quite vividly. “Yeah, but like… _why_ my treasure? Why not just darling or honey or whatever?”

“Do you want me to call you those?” he asked worriedly.

“No! Not at all. I…I like minskatt. I love it, actually,” she admitted for the first time out loud. After months of blushing about it and hearing him say it in her dreams, she was finally able to admit it. “I just don’t know why you’d choose that over the hundreds of other things.”

William shrugged his shoulders again. “I just heard it a lot growing up from my grandparents. My grandpa would call my grandma that all the time. When I was really small, I thought it was her actual name. And I just…I don’t know. I think it’s the nicest thing. Because you’re my treasure. That what you are to me, always. From the moment I met you. You’re my treasure.”

Aberdeen smiled sheepishly. _God_ , he was so… _good_. So pure. So characteristically _William_ that she honestly didn’t have another word for it. “For what it’s worth, you’re my treasure too, Willy.”

***

**January 25 th, 2020**

Aberdeen decided to get breakfast on her own, without waiting for Brendan to call. She’d fallen asleep talking to William last night – they _both_ had, _gag_ – but she still felt pretty energized and ready for the day. She threw her hair in a bun, knowing it would be easier to style when she got back from breakfast for the luncheon, and put on a simple pair of yoga tights and a University of Toronto hoodie. 

She figured that most of the guys were either still asleep or would have ordered room service, and she was pleased to see that the dining room for the continental breakfast was basically two-thirds empty. She grabbed a plate and loaded it with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns. She then poured herself some coffee and orange juice and settled into a table, taking out her phone so she could browse the news or read an article while she ate. 

She was in a completely tranquil state of mind until she heard a voice from behind her. “Hey!”

It startled her. She turned around to see Mitch standing behind her, holding a plate stacked with food. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Same thing as you – eating!” he smiled. He looked behind him. “Hey guys! Aberdeen’s here!”

She leaned back to look past him and saw Fred’s giant body towering over the egg buffet and Auston looking like he literally just rolled out of bed pouring some cereal into a bowl. Fred smiled and Auston waved. She looked back at Mitch. “You’re _all_ up?”

“You seem shocked,” he said as she settled into the seat across from her.

“I’m not shocked about you, because you’re just an excitable puppy,” she said. “I’m more surprised about Auston. Does he usually get up this early?”

“You’d be surprised,” Mitch shrugged. “When we’re on the hockey grind, early wake up calls are just a part of life.”

Fred and Auston came to the table eventually, with Fred sitting beside Aberdeen and Auston beside Mitch. They spoke casually – about the events of last night and the upcoming day ahead of them, what they would do with their day off tomorrow before having the fly to Nashville on Monday to meet the rest of the team. Auston suggested that they all go to the big arch. Mitch wanted to have lunch at a smokehouse. Fred wanted would arrange the Ubers. 

They looked at Aberdeen. It was a while before she noticed. “What?” she asked with a mouth full of breakfast sausage.

“What do you want to do Sunday?” Mitch asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

She was confused. “I’m coming?”

“ _Obviously_ ,” Auston piped up.

“Why would you think you’re not invited?” Fred asked. “You’ve been with us for how long now?”

“I just…I don’t know,” she digressed. “I know I’m, like, part of the team or whatever—”

“So why wouldn’t you come?” Fred followed up.

“I—you guys constantly freak me out, you know that?” she asked. “Like, I don’t get why a bunch of hot shot hockey players want me to tag along with them on their day off.”

“Why wouldn’t you think that? Willy likes you tagging along everywhere,” Auston said.

Aberdeen suddenly stiffened at Auston’s words, thrown around so casually, but they were so charged for her. “So does Jason,” Mitch added quickly. “And Brendan, even. I mean, Brendan wouldn’t have invited you here if he didn’t trust you with us, or you with us, you know? I mean, the All-Star Game is Peter’s thing.”

She’d heard that once or twice before. “It’s just it’s still new to me, that’s all,” she said, trying to remain calm. “I don’t want to intrude on your private time. I’m already around you guys practically all the time as it is. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Not sure that’s possible,” Mitch said. “You’re always welcome with us. We love you, Aberdeen.”

***

When Aberdeen went back up to her room after breakfast, she took a long look at herself in the mirror. _Long_. She knew she was loved by many people: by her parents, her grandparents, her siblings, by Kasha, by friends like Masani and Tom and Margot. By Brendan, at least in his own way. By William. She was loved by William. 

Could she add the Toronto Maple Leafs to that list?

***

**February 5 th, 2020**

New York City in the beginning of February was much different than, say, New York City in the summer, even New York City at Christmas. With nothing to really look forward to – no holiday or event, no long stretch of time where the city swelled with tourists and it felt so alive – New York City was just…well, New York City. Big. Imposing. Busy. 

Brendan had lived here for a few years, both as a player and an NHL executive, and he’d gone out for an extended lunch with a friend, so Aberdeen had nothing better to do than to walk down to Magnolia bakery and grab a half dozen cupcakes to eat and then bring home to share with Kasha – two red velvet with cream cheese icing, one confetti, one lemon, one coconut, and one truffle. It was her way of saying thanks, because Kasha had been picking up donuts from Bloomers or Glory Hole at least once a month since they moved in together. The perks of flying on a chartered flight was that she knew the cupcakes would be safe all the way back to Toronto. 

When she got back to the arena, she made sure the box of cupcakes was placed in the box where she’d be with Brendan and Kyle that night, knowing that nobody would touch it. It was when she exited the press box and began making her way through the corridors between the locker rooms that she saw someone she was not expecting at all: Saylor, Kasperi’s girlfriend. She looked very glamourous, with her hair and makeup done professionally. 

When she looked up from her phone – which she didn’t do often – and saw Aberdeen, she smiled excitedly. “Ohmygod, hi Aberdeen!” she greeted her enthusiastically. 

“Hi, Saylor. You traveled to New York with Kasperi?” she asked, trying to make small talk.

“I actually had a shoot booked, but I scheduled it so I could come to New York the same time as the guys came,” she revealed, clearly proud she was able to get the gig. “You know, because I model.”

Aberdeen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Saylor reminded her every time they spoke about her modelling. Well, Instagram modelling. Aberdeen didn’t think she’d ever walked a runway or appeared in an editorial. It was mostly just the aforementioned Instagram modelling with a YouTube channel where brands would send her clothes or _“collab”_ with her for exposure. “Yeah, I remember Saylor. Sounds fun.”

“It is!” she smiled excitedly. “I’ve been _super_ lucky so far. But I mean hey, with a bit of makeup and good angles, lots of girls could be models.”

“I’m sure,” Aberdeen giggled. “Wouldn’t be me though. Not with these bushy Persian brows,” she joked, knowing full well thick brows were very in right now and that a lot of girls got them dyed or microbladed to look like hers.

“Persian?” Saylor was confused.

“Yeah. My dad’s Persian.”

“Ohmigosh, I _knew_ you were mixed with something! Your nose _totally_ gives it away.”

Aberdeen froze, though a strained smile was on her face. She knew she had a Greek nose, that it was pretty big with a prominent bridge, not elegant at all like Siena’s, but she didn’t think it was _that_ big of a deal. She didn’t know what Saylor was trying to say or imply, but she tried to play along anyway. “I thought it’d be my hair.”

“Well, that too.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. Before she could say anything else, Saylor’s phone began ringing. “It’s my agency,” she said as she looked down at her phone. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“See ya.”

Aberdeen watched as Saylor left, her hips swaying back and forth in her skin tight Levis. She brought her hand up to her face, feeling the bridge of her nose before patting down her hair. She sighed. At least Saylor didn’t see the Magnolia cupcake box – she probably would have made a comment about that, too.

Aberdeen thought back to New Year’s Eve, when Morgan and John sat at her table and told her the story about Bee; about how she’d gotten messages from fans making fun of her weight and looks and how they’d called her the team cum bucket. Aberdeen shivered. She didn’t understand how people could have such vitriol in their heart for another person they hadn’t even met. And having it be directed towards _Bee McTavish_ of all people. Those were targeted attacks, mostly because they were jealous of who Bee was dating (as they should, because Morgan was a great guy). But Aberdeen wondered if Bee ever got those types of comments from people she knew – other wives or girlfriends who maybe couldn’t hold their tongue or thought that looks were the be all, end all of someone’s worth. 

Aberdeen knew better than to think that way. She knew it was all bullshit. How you presented yourself to the world was one thing – with your clothes, your hair, your makeup – and it was somewhat _an extension_ of you, but it wasn’t who you _were_ as a person. Like, Aberdeen always liked to look fashionable and presentable at work, because she knew she was in a highly professional environment and on any given day she’d shake hands and speak with a billionaire, but her clothes didn’t define her. Her personality defined her. Her work ethic defined her. Her respect for her job, her bosses, and her colleagues defined her. Her ambitions defined her more than her clothes ever would, than her clothes ever _could_. She knew Saylor didn’t mean any harm, that it probably wasn’t said maliciously at all, that it was only said because she didn’t know any better and nobody in her privileged life had called her out on her language that bordered on offensive. Aberdeen wasn’t going to hold it against her unless it kept happening and it _did_ get offensive. 

But she highly doubted that. 

***

The Leafs lost to the New York Rangers 5-3.

William had knocked on her room door.

She let him in. 

He kissed her the second the door closed and she felt overwhelmed by the feeling of his lips on hers, like she always did, really. They hadn’t been able to connect in Nashville or Dallas after the All-Star Game because her room was right beside Brendan’s, so they had to wait until the night they got back to Toronto. The Leafs weren’t doing particularly well lately, but nobody would be able to tell by the way William was acting. He brushed off the losses fairly easily, not liking to dwell on them too much. 

“You okay after tonight?” she asked.

“It’s fine, minskatt,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. “Better now.”

She smiled slightly. She highly doubted that she made the situation better, but she’d take it. “Come to the washroom with me. I have to wash my face.”

“That’s sexy.”

She smacked his arm. He just gripped onto her hips tighter. “I can ask you to leave.”

“You’d have to make me at this point, and I’m a strong boy,” he raised his eyebrows. 

She scoffed, dragging him into the washroom with her as she took off her makeup and cleansed her face. William leaned his body against the wall behind her, so she was able to see him and look at him through the mirror. He was so patient, and literally just watched her as she went about her nightly routine. He didn’t say a peep, didn’t complain, didn’t rush her. He just watched her with a look in his eye that told her, fascinatingly, that he was enjoying just watching her, like he was captivated by her simplest movements. 

She pat her face dry, looking at him through the mirror. “Can I ask you something?” she asked. It was so quiet she could practically hear the electric current going through the lightbulb. 

“Of course, minskatt.”

She was hesitant, mostly because she didn’t really know if William knew anything about it, but also because she should probably be asking Morgan. She set the towel down on the counter. “Do you know what happened with Bee last year?”

William didn’t look too bothered by the question. “You mean when her mom passed away?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “The…the other thing.”

“Oh, _that_ ,” William nodded his head. “Yeah, I know what happened.”

“Morgan said it was someone who knew Kasperi’s ex.”

“It was. Her name was Cassie. Kasperi’s ex, I mean,” he clarified as he stepped closer towards her. “The girl who actually approached Bee in the restaurant was named Danielle.”

“Had you ever met them before?” she asked.

“Cassie, of course. Danielle, no,” he said. “Why?”

“Does Kasperi exclusively date models?”

“Basically,” he giggled slightly. “Why, minskatt?”

“It’s nothing,” she shook her head. “I just—I saw Saylor earlier tonight, and she mentioned how she was in New York City for a photoshoot with a brand or something.”

“She’s one of those Instagram models,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and nestling his head into the crook of her neck. He placed light kisses on her skin that made her feel temporarily drunk. “ _You_ should be a model,” he mumbled against her skin.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Aberdeen replied sarcastically, though the feeling of his lips still on her skin made her brain mush. 

“Oh come on. You’d be a great model. _My_ model,” he continued with his compliments and with his kissing.

“Not with this nose,” Aberdeen quipped. “At least that’s what Saylor said.”

William stopped his movements. It was quiet again. She continued to watch him through the mirror as he looked at her, speechless. It shouldn’t have come out like that. She didn’t plan for it to come out like that. But like most things to do with William, nothing ever went according to plan. Ignoring him certainly didn’t go to plan – look where they were with that. “Excuse me?” he asked, finally. “What did she say to you?”

“It’s honestly not even a big deal,” Aberdeen said, trying to sound as confident as possible. “She found out I was half-Persian and was like _‘Oh your nose totally gives it away’_ ,” she mimicked Saylor’s voice. “Then when I mentioned as a joke that I thought it would have been my hair that gave it away, she was like, _‘That too’_ , like it was so obvious.”

William looked angry – a confused angry, like he couldn’t believe something like that was said to her by someone so close to one of his best friends, but at the same time, could totally see it being said by her in particular. Nobody else had commented on it when they found out – at least nobody on the team had – but of course Saylor did. “Minskatt—”

“Please don’t make this a big deal,” she interrupted him, seeing the look in his eyes. “It’s not the first time someone has said something like that to me and it’s definitely not going to be the last.”

If she didn’t want him to make a big deal out of it, he wouldn’t. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t still angry about it, though. And it didn’t mean he’d look at Saylor differently now for what she said. “But minskatt…you know I think you’re beautiful, right?” he asked softly. 

Aberdeen nodded her head. “I do,” she said confidently. “I know you do. But, like – and no offence – but _I_ think I’m beautiful. And – again, no offence – that’s more important than you thinking it. I have enough confidence in my appearance to not let it affect me. That’s why it doesn’t matter what she said.”

William smiled at her. Proudly. “No offence taken,” he said, biting his lip. “That’s all that matters. Still makes me want to talk to her though.”

Aberdeen whipped around so she could face him. “Don’t you _dare_ ,” she warned.

William’s smile turned from prideful to facetious. “Gotcha.”

Aberdeen scrunched her face at him, but he didn’t care. He dipped down and kissed her again, refusing to stop even as he picked her up in his arms and placed her on the vanity. He stood in between her thighs as he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her, not wanting to ever stop. “You know I think you’re pretty great, right?” he mumbled against her lips.

Aberdeen stopped, their faces only inches apart as she stared at him, smiling slightly. She brought her hand up and let her thumb caress his bottom lip, the slightest bit swollen from all their kissing. His eyes were so, _so_ blue as she looked into them. Sometimes she didn’t think he was real. “I think you’re pretty great, too.”


	20. Chapter 19

**February 14 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was packing her tote bag. 

Thankfully, the team had Valentine’s Day off. Over the past few weeks she’d heard the guys talking about their plans with their wives or girlfriends. John and Aryne were getting John’s parents to watch Jace while they went for dinner in Yorkville. Morgan was bringing Bee to Alo for dinner, in his crutches and all – he wasn’t letting his injury stop him. Jason was going to buy his girls each a bouquet of flowers and have a special night in with them and Jennifer. It all sounded very sweet, and she was happy that, after missing New Year’s with their families, they were at least able to have Valentine’s Day together. 

Evan was coming over tonight and Kasha was cooking him a romantic dinner, so Aberdeen had decided she was going to camp out at her local Starbucks with her laptop and notebooks and work on her writing. It was when she was almost finished packing her tote bag did a text come through on her phone. 

_can u be ready in 15 mins?_

Between William and Brendan, she’d just about had it with hockey players telling her to get ready in an absurdly short amount of time.

_Why?_

_did u really think we wouldn’t celebrate valentines minskatt?_

She almost dropped her phone on the floor. She had no clue what he was thinking. Clearly he wasn’t.

_I don’t know what the custom in Sweden is, but usually you tell a girl if you’re going out on Valentine’s Day so she can look pretty_

_what’s the fun in that when i can surprise u with something_

_plus u always look pretty_

_its impossible for u not to_

_What if I already made plans?_

Less than ten seconds later, her phone began ringing. She snorted before she picked up. “Hi.”

“You don’t really have plans, do you?” he asked, worry in his voice.

She looked at her notebook sitting on her bed, the one she was supposed to have packed into her tote bag before leaving for Starbucks. Where she should be drinking coffee and writing. Exactly like the stereotype. “Evan’s coming over. I was supposed to go to Starbucks and write,” she informed him.

William knew how seriously Aberdeen took her writing ever since she’d read a lot of it to him during their days alone during the All-Star Break, so he was genuinely worried. “Do you think you can spare a few hours for a Valentine’s Day date? I’m like two minutes from your place,” he said. “But, uh, no pressure. I mean if you want to write, you can go write.”

Aberdeen smiled, though she couldn’t see him. His anxiety was a bit cute, she had to admit. This was the first time in her life, she thought, that she made a boy nervous. The last time she’d tried to use writing as an excuse not to go out, Zane got annoyed and pouty and forced her out to his friend’s birthday party where she had the worst time. “I’ll meet you downstairs,” she said quickly before hanging up.

By the time the elevator took her down to the lobby, she saw William’s Volvo already waiting for her in front of the lobby doors. She slipped into the passenger’s seat quickly, closing the door and immediately noticing how already hot and cozy it was in the car. She looked over to William. “Hi,” she smiled shyly.

“Hi minskatt,” he smiled too, a soft, confident smile on his face. “You look beautiful.”

“Stop trying to butter me up.”

He leaned over the centre console and placed a kiss on her lips. It was supposed to be chaste – _supposed to be_ – but he should have known better, because once his lips were on hers it was endgame for him, and he kept kissing her and deepening the kiss for as long as she’d let him. When she pulled away, she was smiling. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“ _Willy_.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling it over to his lap. “You’ll see, minskatt.”

Aberdeen digressed. He put his car into drive and turned the corner to rejoin Adelaide Street. He grabbed his phone carefully from the cupholder and handed it to her. “Want to play some music?” he asked. 

Aberdeen arched her brow. She took the phone from his hands and began scrolling through his Spotify. During the All-Star Break, she’d added more songs to his “Minskatt” playlist, and they’d listened it as they sat around the apartment, or cooked, or did whatever it was they did for those three days – which was basically just eat and have sex. She noticed a couple of songs had been added by him since then, too: ‘Ageless Beauty’ by Stars, ‘Cold Feet’ by Loud Luxury, ‘Honest’ by The Band CAMINO. They all suited her and her taste in music so well.

But she had ulterior motives.

William waited patiently for a song to begin as he drove through the streets. Every time he glanced over at Aberdeen, he saw her smirk getting bigger and bigger. “What are you up to over there?” he asked. “Are you destroying the playlist again?”

Aberdeen giggled and tapped the screen dramatically. She waited.

When the opening notes of ‘Passionfruit’ began to play, William’s jaw dropped dramatically as Aberdeen burst into a fit of laughter at his reaction. “What the hell is this?!” he demanded playfully. “You _roast_ me about my choice and now you play it?!”

“I never said it was a bad song,” she said through giggles.

“You are _something else_ ,” he said, pausing dramatically between the two words as he reached over and tried to pinch her on her thigh playfully. She yelped but continued to laugh, grabbing his hand and holding it hers, like she was holding a baby bird. “No extra meatball for _you_.”

Her eyes lit up at the mention of a meatball. “Sugo meatballs?”

“No,” he shook his head, bringing his car to a stop at the red light. He looked over at her. “San Remo Bakery meatballs.”

She gasped dramatically. “Willy, we’re going to San Remo?”

“Mhm,” he nodded his head. The famous bakery in Etobicoke clearly had her heart, and he knew it would. It was the first thing he thought of when he was planning tonight. “You’re gonna get us whatever’s good and we’re gonna eat.”

Aberdeen wiggled excitedly in her seat. She controlled the playlist and songs as William made his way to Etobicoke the long way – aka, not taking the highway. He was perfectly content with taking King Street and The Queensway the entire way there while maintaining easy, fun, and interesting conversation with Aberdeen, who was suddenly full of stories of other Etobicoke establishments she’d haunt during her high school days. She told stories of she and her friends packing themselves into a car to drive to San Remo Bakery in grade 12, making it back just in time for their afternoon class but smelling like freshly baked bread in the process. She told stories of running through the streets of The Kingsway neighbourhood throughout university when she would go on jogs to clear her head. She told stories of hiking along the Humber Marshes with her dad and traditional afternoon tea at the Old Mill with her mom and taking the subway back home to Royal York station after nights out with her friends in university. She’d memorized the train schedule and knew that the last train going westbound left at 1:52am. For all that she went out, she’d only ended up taking a taxi back home three times.

After every story, William would kiss her hand. 

When they were on Royal York Road, Aberdeen became silent as she looked at all the storefronts on the way to the bakery. The sun was just starting to set, and even though it was the dead of winter in Canada, the night was clear and crisp, the sky starting to light up a mixed shade of orange and pink. She looked over at William, his eyes illuminated by the setting sun. For all her thinking half the time that he was so perfect she didn’t think he was real, she was reminded of his status by the beanie he was wearing on top of his head, the Maple Leafs logo glaring back at her. 

He pulled the car over to the curb right in front of the bakery. Aberdeen could see inside, and it was pretty busy – like it usually was. She looked at him again. “Do you get recognized a lot when you’re out and about in the city?” she asked.

William shrugged. “Enough.”

She looked between him and the busy bakery again, biting her lip. “Then how about I go in and bring the food back,” she said sheepishly. “That way it’s not…I mean we’re not seen toget—”

“I understand, Aberdeen. It’s okay,” he said, kissing her hand. 

“I’m sorry we can’t, like, eat it inside or whatever,” she said sheepishly, knowing that it was because of _her_ anxieties about being caught that they couldn’t be seen in public together. Sometimes she wondered if he had the same, although she doubted it. He was an extremely private person and didn’t let the media know about one iota of his life or who he really was as a person, but he was so carefree with her that she wondered if he let his guard down because his love for her blinded him or something. 

“Hey…” he said, leaning over the centre console again so he could give her a soft kiss. “It’s _fine_. I’m just happy to be spending the night with you. Now go.”

Aberdeen came back with a feast. A giant slice of lasagna (for him), gnocchi in a rosé sauce (for her, her absolute favourite), and two sfoglio cannolis. When she got back in the car, bag filled to the brim, William was smiling. The smell of all the food instantly filled the car and he almost melted right then and there. “God, that smells fucking incredible,” he said. “Alright, next stop.”

“What’s the next stop?”

“You’ll see.”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes again. She didn’t have to wait long, though, because within minutes – seriously, the food was still steaming – they’d arrived at Prince of Wales Park, a small park on the edge of the lake with an amazing and underrated lookout towards the Toronto skyline. The park was empty, with it being the middle of winter, and so was the small parking lot. William parked right at the end, facing the skyline as the sun set over the city. 

Aberdeen and William looked at each other at the same time once he put his car in park, turning off the engine but leaving the heating on. “You were planning to eat in the car anyway, weren’t you?” she asked. 

“Maybe,” he smiled mischievously. 

She took out the food. William audibly moaned as he took his first bite of lasagna. Aberdeen lay her back against the door as she forked some gnocchi into her mouth, sighing at the taste. Between mouthfuls of gnocchi and lasagna and feeding each other little bits to taste, William began to speak, unprompted, just like she had on the way to the bakery. He spoke about growing up with his big family in Sweden and the United States, going back and forth every year. He spoke about skating on rollerblades in his backyard and hitting the corner of a barbecue while his dad chased him and needing three stitches. He spoke about his mom cooking traditional Swedish dishes and his dad being the master of pickled herring. He spoke about hockey and being drafted and moving to Toronto at eighteen. He spoke about having to leave his friends in Sweden but being able to see them every summer. He spoke about how much she would love Sweden, how he wanted to bring her there, how he wanted to show her their family place in Stockholm but also their secluded country house. 

After every subject change, she’d lean in and kiss him, and he’d taste like lasagna and she’d taste like gnocchi and it was all just perfect. 

When they finished the food, and had washed everything down with some water and put the empty containers back in the bag that Aberdeen tied up and placed at her feet, she looked at William once more. Although everything was sweet, and perfect, and lovely, and everything she would have wanted out of a Valentine’s Day date, the fact of the matter was they’d just had dinner in a car. Alone. Because they couldn’t spend it in a restaurant _together_. Because they _were_ together, but they couldn’t _be_ together – out in the open, at least.

“Hey Willy?” her voice was sheepish, her mouth speaking before her brain could tell her not to.

“Minskatt?”

“You uh, you know how we’re keeping all this a secret? Like nobody on the team knows we slept together last June, and nobody in the world knows we’re sleeping together now, and the guys on the team think it’s all like…I don’t know, like you having a harmless crush on me or whatever?” she rambled.

“Yes…” William was unsure of where she was going with this. 

“So, um…what are we, then?”

He stayed quiet for a moment. “What do you want to be?” he asked. 

“Nuh-uh. I’m not making the executive decision here,” she shook her head. “Either we make a decision together or that’s it. We need to define what this is because right now we’re in this weird friends-with-benefits stage even though we’ve already said I love you—”

“I want you to be my girlfriend,” he blurted out, interrupting her. “I thought…I mean, I’ve wanted you to be my girlfriend since the elevator. I thought you knew that.”

She had a hunch, but she needed it confirmed by him out loud so she knew her mind wasn’t playing games with her. “So…so we’re going to do this, then?” she asked timidly.

“Do you _want_ to do this?” he asked, making sure. “Because you already know my answer. I think you’ve known it this whole time, you just hesitate to accept it because your judgement is clouded by the fact that we have to sneak around to love one another and be together.”

For Aberdeen, the answer was easy. It was wrong, and it was immoral, and it was a blatant disregard of the rules she needed to follow professionally and the rules she _should_ be following societally, but it was easy. “Yes. I want to do this. You’re my boyfriend.”

“Then you’re my girlfriend,” William smiled.

“We have a bit of a problem though.”

“Besides the fact that this is against every company policy known to mankind and completely inappropriate?” he asked. It made Aberdeen giggle. “What’s the other problem?”

“Valentine’s Day can’t be our anniversary. It’s too corny.”

William giggled. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before he held it in his lap, his thumb gliding over her backhand tenderly. “When’s our anniversary then, minskatt?”

Aberdeen thought for a few moments before she came to a conclusion. “January 9th.”

William knew the exact date she was talking about and knew why she would choose that date to be their anniversary. “Alright then. January 9th it is.”

Aberdeen smiled, leaning back into the door, satisfied. They had an anniversary. They were official. They were on the same page, regardless of whether or not they liked that page – that page being not being able to share their relationship with anyone or anything. It wasn’t the best page. But they both knew there were better pages ahead. 

A secret only they knew.

“What’re you thinking about?” William asked softly. 

“You,” she replied. He smiled. “C’mere,” she beckoned. 

“Come _where_?”

She abruptly opened the door, slipping out of the passenger seat and instead moving to the backseat. William watched as she did so, slipping out himself when he realized what she was doing. Once they found each other in the backseat, Aberdeen climbed on top of him and straddled his lap. “You’re being very bold, minskatt,” William smiled. 

“Count your blessings,” she winked before leaning in and crashing her lips against his. He reciprocated readily, however ‘shocked’ he was by her bold actions. He was just as hungry for her as she was for him, and his actions showed that: his hands wandering along her thighs, grabbing at her waist; his tongue down her throat, biting her bottom lip. They kissed so much their lips were red and swollen; kissed so much they were fogging up the windows.

Layers. There were too many layers of clothing. It was winter, so they both knew there would be, but it made things annoying. They’d taken their jackets off long ago – William had his off when Aberdeen got in the car, and she’d taken hers off soon after, not bothering to put it back on when she ran in and out of San Remo Bakery – but now there was William t-shirt and hoodie to worry about, and Aberdeen’s sweater, and…

Aberdeen felt William’s hands go underneath her sweater and shivered.

“You alright, minskatt?” William asked as he felt her body shake at his touch. 

Aberdeen nodded. She began kissing him again, grinding her hips against his lap, causing him to groan. His hands kept traveling higher and higher against her bare skin until he reached her bra. Aberdeen helped take off her sweater. William took his off, too. She could feel how hard she was getting as she grinded more in his lap, pressing her bare skin onto his and feeling his body heat. Eventually, he pushed her bra straps down, kissing his way down to her breasts before taking a nipple on his mouth. Aberdeen threw her head back. “Willy…” she sighed out, the feeling of his tongue flicking against her nipple making her shiver again. He switched to the other breast. “Oh, _Willy_ …” she began to pant harder.

She dropped her hands in between them. 

As Aberdeen stuck her hand down his pants, William stopped. “Ab—Aberdeen—”

“Willy please tell me you have a condom somewhere.”

He huffed, looking nervous. “I d…I don’t think I do—”

“ _What_?”

“I wasn’t expecting this, minskatt. I swear.” Okay, so they couldn’t have sex. But they could still have fun, she thought immediately, because there was no way she was going to stop now. She was too far gone. “If you want to stop I underst—”

“We are _not_ stopping,” Aberdeen said firmly. “I’m—I—help me pull your pants down.”

She started on her own, eagerly, but William helped. She saw how hard his member was and grabbed it. She noticed William’s sharp intake of breath. She began to stroke him, looking him straight in the eye. “D’you like that?”

William nodded. He pulled her pants down, too, and moved her underwear to the side. “I want to make you feel good,” he whispered.

“You always do,” she smiled.

He smiled back at her. He began teasing her core before slipping one finger into her. She gasped in pleasure, biting her lip as she moved her hips slowly. “That’s good?” William asked quickly, only for Aberdeen to nod her head just as quickly, letting out a sigh. She tried to steady her breathing as William’s finger began moving in and out of her slowly, curling every so often. For her part, she kept jerking him off too, his grunts her fuel.

“D’you like when I touch you like this?” she asked, mumbling against his lips, biting down on the bottom one. 

He kissed her in response, sloppy and wet to let her know what he thought. He used his thumb to start rubbing circles against her hot core, and the sound of her mewling out his name over and over again was driving him absolutely insane. “More,” she whimpered. “ _More_ , Willy. One more.”

William slipped another finger into her easily and curled them both. “Oooooh, _fuck_ ,” Aberdeen sighed out, along with every other swear word in the book. She quickened her strokes of his cock and he grunted again, bucking his hips slightly. They kissed for a while longer, both their hands working magic on the other, until she felt him buck his hips again. “Are y’close, Willy?” He nodded, unable to form words. “D’you wanna cum in my mouth?”

Willy’s eyes bulged out dramatically. “You’ve gotta cum first.”

“Willy—”

“You don’t hav—you’ve gotta cum first,” he repeated more definitively, curling his fingers in her again, making her cry out. 

“Don’t stop, then,” she bit her lip. “I’m so close.”

William leaned forward to kiss Aberdeen, and with a few more curls of his fingers and circles of his thumb, she began writhing and shaking on top of him, moaning his name over and over and over again as she rode out her orgasm for as long as she could. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as she came down from her orgasm, feeling his fingers slip out of her. She watched as he brought them up to his mouth and sucked. She was surprised he’d do something that bold, but then again, he _had_ just fingered her in the backseat of his car after she’d initiated the entire rendezvous. “ _Fuck_ , Willy.”

“Felt good?” he asked quickly.

“Felt fucking amazing,” she responded, trying to suppress her giggle. With her hand still miraculously on his cock, she continued stroking, slowly at first. “You ok?”

He nodded his head. “You look so fucking sexy,” he mumbled, referring to how her bra was still pushed down and the red flush that had taken over her body after her orgasm. It was his favourite sight to see. “I love it when I hear you moan my name. I… _fuck_ Aberdeen.”

“I love how good you are with your hands,” she smiled mischievously. 

“I love how good you are with _yours_ ,” he giggled, sighing slightly as her thumb grazed over the tip of his cock. They kissed for a while as she continued to stroke him. “God, you’re so fucking good. I’m not gonna last much longer.”

“D’you want to cum in my mouth?” she asked again.

There was no backing out of the question now, but William didn’t know how to respond. Of course it would have been nice, but there was so much to consider. “You don’t have to. It’s okay.”

“But Willy—”

“—I haven’t even eaten you out yet and I don’t think it’s fair—”

“—But I want to, Willy,” she said, eyes wide and staring at him with a mix of fake innocence and real determination. “I want to.”

He didn’t say another word. Aberdeen kissed him a few more times before she shifted her position and took him in her mouth, sucking the tip of his cock. William leaned his head back and watched through hooded eyes as she continued to stroke and suck, leaving him utterly speechless. It was only when Aberdeen started to go deeper that he could feel his release coming, and he suddenly found his voice again. “Aberdeen—” he tried to get out, but couldn’t. She looked up at him with big eyes and he was ready to die right there. “Aberdeen, I—”

“Cum in my mouth Willy.”

With one last stroke and a buck of his hips, Aberdeen felt his hot cum in her throat. William moaned and repeated her name over and over, much like she’d done before, and tried to keep his eyes on her as she took every last bit of him. His jaw was practically on the floor as he looked down at her, and she up at him, until he couldn’t take it anymore. “C’mere,” dragged her up, planting a messy, wet kiss on her lips as they moaned together, William wrapping his arms around her protectively as he could feel his cock soften. 

They kissed for what felt like hours again, kiss after kiss after kiss, until their pace slowed down and their breaths returned to normal and they realized what they’d just done, what they’d just participated in together, willingly, in a car sitting in an empty parking lot of a park overlooking the Toronto skyline. In about twelve hours, they’d be on a plane together en route to Ottawa, solely work acquaintances to everyone around them, keeping their secret close to their hearts.

“I love you, minskatt,” William mumbled, his head still a bit dizzy but his heart still full from what had just happened. 

“I love you too,” she responded, her chest rising and falling with her breath, her head equally as dizzy and her heart equally as full.

***

William couldn’t keep his eyes off of Aberdeen, now that they were back in the driver’s and passenger’s seat, on Islington Road heading north to get on the Gardiner Expressway. She had a flush on her cheeks and a small smile on her face as she looked out the window. The night was completely dark now, with only the streetlights illuminating the road for them until they got back into the city. The playlist was playing in the background, but neither bothered to turn the volume up or change the song yet.

William drove slowly. To have more time with her.

“Minskatt?” he asked softly as they were stopped at a red light. Aberdeen turned her head to look at him. “Being with you feels right,” he told her, his voice firm and with conviction. 

“Even though what we’re doing is wrong?” she asked.

William shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. I don’t care about the rules.” He considered her words – how she admitted it was wrong – for a moment and got nervous. “Does it feel wrong to you?”

“No,” she replied immediately shaking her head. “Not at all. But you have to understand that this…this is simultaneously the most _wrong_ thing I’ve ever done, but also the most _right_. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I get it completely,” William said. “But I don’t regret any of it.”

“I don’t either.” Aberdeen surprised herself by saying those words out loud. But they were true. She didn’t. She didn’t feel any regret. “You…you know that right?”

William smiled softly. He was very, _very_ well aware how much she was sacrificing to do this – to be sneaking around with him – and he was very well aware of how, for her, everything hung by a thread. Everything for her was on the line, _everything_ , and she was willing to risk it all for him. That was why he was so protective. That was why he was so secretive. That was why he tried his best to keep everything so low-key, to not have people catch on, and if they did, to not take it too seriously. “I do.”

When she picked up his phone as he took the on-ramp onto the Gardiner Expressway, she chose another song, ‘In Your Eyes’ by the Weeknd. William recognized the tempo immediately and smiled. They moved along to the music, singing the lyrics together as they drove on the highway. Aberdeen danced in her seat and William grooved from side to side as much as he could while still being alert and paying attention to the road. Near the song’s end, Aberdeen grabbed his phone again and queued the next song. 

When the familiar chords began to play, the synth coming in and the beat loud and strong, William looked over to her and smiled. “How did I know?” he asked.

“Did you expect anything less from me?” she asked rhetorically, giggling slightly. 

_Midnight…_

_You come and pick me up, no headlights…_

_Long drive could end in burning flames or paradise…_

Hearing her sing was one of the best things in the world to him. Almost as good as hearing her talking about writing. Almost as good as hearing her read her own writing. There was such a lack of inhibitions in the way she sang and the way she moved, the way she didn’t care about facades or rules or appropriateness anymore, that made every lyric, ever hand motion, every movement and every head bop so endearing to him. When she took out her phone and began recording the lights on the horizon, all the skyscrapers lit up in the crisp winter’s night air, he reached across the console and held her hand. Hands that held the ring he got her on it.

Because he could now. Without any reservation. 

And when Aberdeen smiled, all was right in the world. 

When they got back to her apartment, Aberdeen was reluctant to leave. William had put the car in park but neither of them moved to say goodbye or do anything, really. They were lucky that her street wasn’t a main street; that it was residential and tucked in behind two other, more major streets, so that they wouldn’t be honked at or bothered. 

“Have you packed for tomorrow yet?” Aberdeen asked, her voice quiet.

William shrugged. “Just gotta choose a suit, really. There’s nothing to it. You?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “My suitcase is pretty much always ready to go nowadays. I’m uh…Brendan actually gave me lunch time off so I can meet up with Siena.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She’s even coming to the game. Not in the press box or anything but she’ll be in a seat somewhere in the arena. You might get to see her.”

William stayed silent for a few moments. “Did you like tonight?” he asked.

Aberdeen smiled. “Very much so.”

Some more moments of silence. It wasn’t until William leaned over to give her a kiss that there was another sound. “I love you, minskatt.”

She smiled into the kiss. “I love you too, Willy,” she said, for what felt like the tenth time that night. She put her hand on the door handle and pulled so the door would open. She knew if she stayed any longer, they’d be there all night, either kissing or just sitting there in silence. “Get home safe, okay? Text me.”

He didn’t want her to leave, but he digressed because they both had an early wakeup time tomorrow. He also knew that he’d be seeing her in a few hours again, anyway. “I will, minskatt,” he gave her one last kiss before letting her go.

When Aberdeen walked into her condo building, it was like the concierge was waiting for her. “Ms. Bloom?” he asked as she walked by the desk.

“That’s me…”

“This is for you,” he said, handing her a large manila envelope. “Courtesy of your friend,” he nodded towards William, still waiting outside in his car until Aberdeen turned the corner to get to the elevator where he wouldn’t be able to see her. 

She furrowed her brows. When…? How…? “Thanks…” she took it from him, thanking him politely before making her way towards the elevator. Once she was in, she pressed her floor number and tore open the seal.

Inside, there was a valentine. A poorly made and executed valentine, but a valentine nonetheless. William had cut out a giant heart out of red construction paper. He’d glued googly-eyes on it to make a face, glued pipe cleaners and cotton balls and stickers where necessary, and had even used glitter. She laughed out loud – it honestly looked like a valentine made by one of her mom’s first graders. When she noticed it was a card, she opened it up. She saw, in William’s handwriting:

_  
Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker_

It was when she got to her bedroom that she punched in the words, with all their accents, carefully into Google Translate on her phone. Again. He was always making her translate things, although she highly doubted there would be a communication error this time around and think he was calling her ‘little shit’. When the translation came up, her heart skipped a beat.

_I think about you when I’m not even thinking_.


	21. Chapter 20

**February 15 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was in a taxi.

With the Canadian Tire Centre being in Kanata, Aberdeen needed a taxi to get into downtown Ottawa, and judging by what Siena told her about the bus, she wasn’t going to trust it to take her there. They were meeting at Chez Lucien, a gastro bar in the ByWard Market that Siena apparently frequented a lot with her law school friends. Aberdeen had come to visit Siena in Ottawa a few times since she began law school, and every time Siena took her to a different place. It was nice, because she got to see more of what Ottawa had to offer, and what Siena’s life was like here as opposed to in Toronto, but a part of Aberdeen wished they had a ‘spot’. 

Siena had been waiting, as she was able to walk to Chez Lucien from where she lived near campus. Aberdeen was kicking the snow off her boots and unwrapping all her layers at the door as she watched Siena scroll through her phone in a booth in the middle of the room. The restaurant was pretty busy with the lunch time crowd, and the food already smelled delicious. “How do you deal with all this snow?” she asked as she approached the table.

Siena shrugged. “You get used to it, I guess. Did you get here okay?”

Aberdeen nodded as she slipped into the booth. “It’s quite the trek, though. Make sure you leave early tonight.”

“I don’t think it would matter if I missed the first five minutes,” Siena said.

Aberdeen noticed a certain tone in Siena’s voice that made her realize this wasn’t going to be a nice, relaxing lunch with her older sister. For how close they were and for how much Aberdeen loved Siena with every fibre of her being, Siena…could be a bitch sometimes. It was usually drama with friends that did it, or bad grades – Siena _hated_ getting bad grades. She couldn’t compartmentalize her anger like Aberdeen could. Siena couldn’t leave her anger at school and be happy while out with someone else. She brought that anger with her and, while she hid it better in front of friends, she didn’t hide it in front of Aberdeen, meaning Aberdeen usually got the brunt end of it. “Probably not, but MLSE comped the ticket, so it would be nice if you showed up on time.”

“The burgers are really good here,” Siena said, dropping it. 

Aberdeen opened the menu and looking at the list of burgers. “So what is it? A bad mark? Professor piss you off?” she asked without looking up from the menu. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now what do you want?”

The conversation flowed uncomfortably. There were a few awkward pauses, which was unusual for the sisters, and though the food was good, Aberdeen could tell Siena wasn’t really all there. There was something else occupying her mind that wasn’t allowing her to be fully present with Aberdeen. Aberdeen wasn’t necessarily pissed off, because she certainly went through her moods too, but Siena wasn’t even trying to make an effort. Aberdeen decided not to say anything. It was for the best.

“So you look different,” Siena said, picking at the last of her fries and ketchup.

“I do?” Aberdeen asked. “How so?”

“I don’t know,” Siena shrugged. “Your hair’s a bit different.”

“Well, I attempted a blowout, but you know how that goes with me.”

“Does William like it when your hair is straight as opposed to your frizzy curls?” Siena asked, popping a fry into her mouth.

Aberdeen furrowed her brows. “Who cares what William likes?” Aberdeen asked. “I sure as hell don’t.”

“You _don’t_?”

“Siena, come on. When have I ever changed myself for a guy?” Aberdeen asked. She didn’t have a history of it at all, so she didn’t know why Siena would imply such a thing. “I know that William and I are in this weird little…I don’t know, _dance_ , but that doesn’t mean I’m changing myself so he’ll like me more or whatever.” Aberdeen knew she didn’t have to. She knew that William liked her – _loved_ her – just as she was. He’d never asked her to change anything about herself, and actually got mad when Saylor made that off-handed comment about her nose. 

“Are you sneaking around with him?” Siena asked suddenly.

Aberdeen was taken aback by the question. She furrowed her brows and dropped her jaw, offended. “What?! _NO_!” she exclaimed. She scared herself for how easily and emphatically she had just lied to her sister. 

“Are you lying to me?” Siena asked.

“Why would you even _think_ that?” Aberdeen pressed. “What the _hell_ , Siena? Do you honestly think I would jeopardize my job like that? The job I work so hard in? The job that might lead me to do what I actually _want_ to do? You _honestly_ think I’d burn this bridge?”

“I don’t know. You’ve done stupid shit in the past, Aberdeen.”

Aberdeen felt tears well in her eyes. She always knew Siena could be a bitch when she wanted to, but right now, she was being just downright _mean_. It was hard not to take it personally. “ _Wow_. Thanks Siena.”

“I’m just stating the obvious.”

“I love the faith you have in me.”

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you,” Siena said. “I just saw the way you looked at him on Christmas when he showed up. And more importantly, I saw the way he looked at _you_. And I know – or I at least have a feeling – that you wouldn’t be able to resist him if he actually came on to you.”

“That’s a bit rich coming from the girl who told us to sneak up to our room alone after watching an episode Brooklyn 9-9.”

“Don’t deflect this and put this on _me_ , Aberdeen,” Siena narrowed her eyes. “ _You’re_ the vulnerable one in this situation when it comes to him. I mean you’ve already slept together. You slept together after knowing each other for what? A few hours? I mean, if you’d had the decency to wait, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”

Aberdeen’s eyes stung from trying to hold back her tears. She couldn’t even look at her sister. Instead, she focused on her hands in her lap, twiddling nervously with the ring William got her. “Are you done?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly. “I mean it, are you done?”

“Aberdeen—”

“Is this why you asked me to lunch? So you could make me feel like complete shit?” Aberdeen asked indignantly.

“You’re choosing to feel that way. I’m not making you.”

Aberdeen pushed her chair back dramatically. She refused to participate in this conversation anymore. Actually, it wasn’t even a conversation – it was a sabotage. She snatched her purse off the back of her chair and grabbed her coat and scarf before walking away from the table, not even caring that she was walking out on her sister and sticking her with both bills. By the time she had reached the door, throwing her jacket over her shoulders and wrapping her scarf around her neck, there were already tears falling. 

She walked up the street, not even knowing where she was going and where she was going to end up, and she didn’t bother taking her phone out to check. Instead, she cried. She cried about the things her sister said to her. She cried about how she lied to her sister. But more than anything, she cried about how awful she felt, how it felt like her heart was in the pit of her stomach, how her mind was racing about what she was doing with William and how wrong it was but how happy she was when she was with him. She was so conflicted. She was being pulled in opposite directions; quartered in the town square for everyone to see for the sins she was committing. 

Aberdeen knew she fucked up. She _knew_. She knew the moment William stepped into that elevator and shook her hand. She didn’t need anybody to tell her that, or to remind her of the mistakes she’d made. But she didn’t have regrets. Maybe she should, but she didn’t. She loved William. She wasn’t supposed to, but she did. She knew they would be able to keep this a secret; she had faith that it wouldn’t affect her future career prospects. She _had_ to have faith, because if she didn’t, it was all for naught. If she didn’t have faith, then she really _was_ stupid.

People stared at her as she walked down the street crying, her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets. She barely wiped her tears away, wearing them with pride instead. They’d freeze to her face eventually, she thought, and then she’d look like an ice queen. Maybe that would be good for her. 

Aberdeen continued to weave through the streets – turning right, left right, left, left, right – until she happened upon Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, the famous Catholic Church in Ottawa. She’d been there before, with her family, when they visited Siena for the first time and Orla dragged everybody there for a Sunday mass. The cathedral was visually stunning, with its neo-Gothic architecture, classic arches, blue ceiling, and stained-glass windows. Weirdly, Aberdeen _loved_ ecclesiastical architecture. It was probably Orla’s influence. Aberdeen always pictured herself getting married in an old church like this, should she ever get married. Whenever she was in a Catholic church, she was reminded of her childhood. Of Orla dragging her and Siena (and when he was born, Camden) to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church on Bloor Street West every Sunday. Of her mom kneeling and praying for her family back in Northern Ireland. Of attending catechism classes with her classmates so she could receive the Eucharist and have her confirmation. Of her dad sitting with them and being in church too for all those major milestones even though he had his own faith. In its own weird way, it reminded her of home, of routine. The routine of dipping a finger in holy water and bowing, of finding a pew and kneeling for a quick personal prayer. For standing and singing and kneeling and praying. Kneeling and praying. Kneeling and praying.

So it was no wonder, then, that when she entered the cathedral, despite the tourists that lingered throughout the aisles and alcoves taking pictures and lighting candles, it was so easy for her to find the holy water and bow. It was easy for her to find a pew. It was easy for her to sit, and to look forward at the altar. 

It was easy for her to cry.

***

Aberdeen cried out everything she had in her in Notre Dame. It was massively therapeutic. And when she was done, she took a taxi back to the arena. 

She’d cried so much that her eyes were still red, that her skin was blotchy even where she was wearing makeup and was _very_ blotchy in the places where the tears had washed her makeup away. She knew she’d probably get asked about it, but she didn’t really care. She wondered if the men she worked with would even notice.

As she walked through the back corridors and into a room, the first person that she saw was Peter. Her body stiffened. She had barely seen him since the All-Star Game – only saw him in passing or from across the arena, really – and she was too scared to ask whether he had switched departments, gotten demoted, or the like. She hadn’t spoken to him since, and her heart beat rapidly in her chest the second his eyes landed on her. He probably still wanted to kill her.

That’s why she was thoroughly shocked when he gave her a large smile. 

“How’ve you been?” he asked as he walked towards her. 

“How have I been? Where have _you_ been?” she asked back, trying not to freak out. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been so angry. Now he was acting as if nothing was wrong. She thought he’d hate to see her and spit over his shoulder the second he saw her.

“We’re going to need to celebrate,” he said, his voice giddy. “I feel like getting champagne,” he continued, looking around for something to drink. He saw a bunch of Gatorade bottles and handed one to her before taking one for himself. 

“Uh…okay,” she played along. The Gatorade would have to do. “What are we toasting?”

“We are toasting, my dear, to the dream job. The one that a million people wanted,” he smiled.

Aberdeen was confused. “Which I got months ago…”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “I’m not talking about _you_.”

_That_ piqued her interest. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Mhm…go on…”

“Brendan and Kyle invested a lot of time and effort into me. I came on board basically when Kyle did. At the beginning I was doing everything – social media, communications, PR, the works,” he began. “But then there was that opening in hockey operations…and they needed someone they could trust…” he trailed off.

Aberdeen knew about the open job in hockey ops. They’d received numerous applications. The opening was a huge deal and people were clamouring at the opportunity because jobs there didn’t come up often. “Uh huh…”

“And that _someone_ would be _me_.”

Aberdeen’s jaw dropped. “You got the hockey ops job?!” she screamed.

“YES!” he screamed out loud. His giddy laughter and excited little jumps and jitters told Aberdeen he was more than just happy – he was ecstatic. It was probably a position he wanted more than anything. “Aberdeen, they even _put me up for it_! I mean can you _imagine_!”

Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out. That was some interesting bit of news. It meant that Brendan and Kyle knew they were going to promote Peter. But that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was how ecstatic Peter was and his new position with the Leafs. “But…but you’re leaving. I can’t imagine taking on Brendan and Kyle without you.”

“I know, I know, but I’m so excited though. This is the first time in almost three years I’m going to be able to call the shots in my job! Oh my God!” he shrieked. “I’m going to be able to come to Ottawa, Montreal, New York, Philly, Chicago…and actually _be involved_ in the hockey process.”

He was happy. So incredibly happy. And Aberdeen could only be happy for him. She unscrewed and raised her Gatorade bottle. “Well, congratulations Peter. You deserve it.”

“You bet your ass I do,” he giggled, unscrewing his own Gatorade bottle and crashing it against hers. Aberdeen laughed as they both took their gulps of the drink. “I’m sorry I got mad at you before the All-Star Game,” he said once he was finished drinking. “I was really out of line.”

“It’s alright,” she said. “I knew it meant the world to you.”

“Yeah, but I was really mean,” he said. “I said you didn’t deserve it, but we both know that you did. You’ve been working hard since you got here and I was just…you know, being a dick about it.”

“I’ve had worse things said to me,” she shrugged. An understatement considering where she had just come from. “But thank you for your apology.”

He held his Gatorade bottle up again. “To the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he toasted.

Aberdeen smiled, raising her own bottle. “To the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

***

“So, how was lunch with Siena?” Brendan asked as he went over some last-minute notes before he and Aberdeen would make their way to the press box and meet Kyle for the game. Knowing that Siena was coming to the game tonight to support her sister was nice. Aberdeen made it adamantly clear her sister wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of hockey, but was coming to the game to support her more than anything. That was fine with Brendan. 

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. She’d hoped Brendan wouldn’t ask about it because she still wasn’t over it. “I ended up going to church.”

He looked at her skeptically. “Church?”

“I got into a fight with my sister,” she explained curtly.

“About what?”

Aberdeen shook her head. Like she was going to tell him. “Not important.”

“Well…what made you go to church?” he pressed. He seemed genuinely concerned about the fact that she’d gone to a house of worship after fighting with her sister. Had it been that bad? 

Aberdeen knew he was curious because he was worried, not curious because he wanted to pry. Because of that, she knew she had to choose her words carefully as to not reveal too much but also not reveal too little so that he’d ask more questions. She couldn’t find them. She didn’t know what to say to him without it leading to her giving it all away and getting fired on the spot. “I just needed some semblance of… _normalcy_ back in my life after the fight,” she said, knowing Brendan wouldn’t understand. 

“Aberdeen, I have absolutely no clue what that means,” he deadpanned jokingly, causing her to giggle slightly. “But if church helped…well, _good_ ,” he said, focusing back on his notes.

Aberdeen nodded. She wanted the topic of conversation to be dropped, and she knew the best way to do that. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

She knew it was going to come out as a statement more than a question. “You and Kyle…you guys knew you were promoting Peter to the hockey ops position.”

“Yes…” He was still looking down at his notes, and he wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

“So why’d you make me tell him about the All-Star Game?”

Brendan stopped focusing on his notes, instead looking at Aberdeen. He knew that she wasn’t accusing him of anything, and not complaining that she had to do what she did; she just wanted answers. Apparently she’d seen Peter. Apparently they’d talked. “So Peter told you we put him up for the hockey ops job, then,” he started.

“He did.”

Brendan nodded his head. “We needed to toughen you up, Aberdeen.”

It was Aberdeen’s turn to look at Brendan skeptically. “Toughen me up?”

“Listen—don’t get me wrong, because you’ve been doing a great job,” Brendan began. “But you…you need to do things that make you uncomfortable, Aberdeen. You know…uh…” he was trying to find the right words. “You know how a glowstick needs to be cracked in order to shine?”

“That’s literally the weirdest analogy I’ve ever heard anyone make,” she said.

“You needed to crack a bit,” he said firmly. “You needed to break someone’s heart. This is a tough business and this is a tough world and it’ll happen to you too. And I want you to be prepared to have to do those sorts of things. Because you’ll be successful once you leave here and you’ll have to do them. You’ll thank me later.”

Judging by his tone, Aberdeen knew Brendan wasn’t going to entertain any other options. She couldn’t say anything to make him think otherwise. “Okay…well, then I think you’ll be happy to know that I broke his heart when I told him he wasn’t going to the All-Star Game. And you and Kyle put it back together by promoting him.”

“I know that,” he said. He looked down at his notes one more time before pushing his chair back. “Now let’s go.”

***

_Are they playing well? I wouldn’t know_.

Aberdeen stared at the text message from Siena as she sat in the back of the press box, Brendan and Kyle watching the game intently and in full view of the cameras. She was surprised Siena still came after the afternoon they’d had. There was less than five minutes left in the first period, and Auston had already scored. She didn’t know if she should respond. She wondered if that made her a bad sister.

When the buzzer rang for the end of the period, Brendan swiveled in his chair and looked back at her. “Is Siena here?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head. “Go find her.”

“But you asked me to—”

“Go find her and go talk to her,” he interrupted, giving her a look. “ _Go_.”

Aberdeen got up from her seat, her credentials jingling down the hallway as she texted Siena back. 

_Where are you sitting?_

_They put me six rows behind the Leafs bench. Section 106. Can you come meet me right outside the tunnel?_

By the time Aberdeen got there (she speed walked so they had more time together, so what?), Siena was already waiting. When Siena saw her, she stuffed her phone into her pocket. “Were you up in the box?” she asked.

“I always am.”

Siena nodded, staying quiet for a moment. “Listen…I…I’m sorry about today,” she said, stumbling over her words a bit. “I was…my comments were really uncalled for, and I shouldn’t have like, you know, accused you of sleeping with William behind your boss’s back.”

Aberdeen nodded her head once, curtly, to make Siena abundantly clear that she hadn’t forgiven her just yet. Could she forgive her, really, when she was keeping the biggest secret from her? “Do you want to tell me what the little outburst was _really_ about?” she asked.

Siena pursed her lips and crossed her arms across her chest. She looked down at the floor. “It’s nothing.”

“ _Siena_.”

She sighed heavily. “It’s a guy,” she mumbled out.

“What?”

“ _A guy_ ,” she said dramatically.

Aberdeen’s jaw dropped. “A _guy_?!” she barely had the words. “What guy? What…what _guy_?!”

Siena looked like she was about to throw a mini temper tantrum for having to reveal the information. “There was this guy, Aaron…he was just in one of my classes, and we had this…this _thing_ going on for the past few months. Anyways, uh, I found out he was also hooking up with Sylvie the entire time and they’re all Instagram official already.”

“Sylvie?!” Aberdeen deadpanned. “Like…Gatineau Sylvie? Blonde Sylvie? Sylvie who we partied with Sylvie?”

“Yes, _that_ Sylvie,” Siena rolled her eyes. “Knockout Sylvie. Drop dead gorgeous Sylvie. Only in law school so her parents don’t cut her off financially Sylvie.”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows in anger. Sylvie had been so nice when Aberdeen had come to visit last year, and had bought her drinks at the club…and now to hear she’d done this to Siena? And had been doing it for _months_? Aberdeen was livid. “Well fuck that bitch,” she barked. “And fuck Aaron, too.”

“Now I know how you felt when Zane did that to you,” Siena bit her lip. “But you guys were together for like, a year. Aaron and I were just hooking up.”

“ _Still_ ,” Aberdeen was still upset. “Fuck that guy. Fuck them both. Fuck them all. He doesn’t deserve you if he’s gonna be sneaking around on you, hooking up with Sylvie and whoever else. You dodged a bullet. You’re too pretty and too smart to be bogged down by such a fuckboy.”

Siena was quiet. Aberdeen tried to figure out whether she was going to cry or roll her eyes, but she couldn’t. With Siena looking at the floor, it was almost impossible. When she finally looked back up, her expression was much more neutral. Gentler. “I wish I had your sense of loyalty, Aberdeen,” Siena said softly. “Really. I do. It’s one of your best qualities. You…you have my back no matter what.”

“Of course I do,” Aberdeen said. “You’re my sister.”

Siena nodded her head. “I know it might not seem like it, especially after the lunch we had, but I always have your back, too,” she said. “I hope you know that. I’d do anything for you.”

Aberdeen was silent as she considered her sister’s words. They fought like any sisters did, but deep know, she knew. Aberdeen knew her sister would do anything for her, and she would do the same. “I know.”

“Can you forgive me for lunch?”

Aberdeen nodded reluctantly. There was nothing to forgive when her sister was right about her assumptions. “I forgive you,” she said. She watched as a bunch of fans made their way through the tunnel and into the arena back to their seats. “Listen, I have to get back. But I’ll meet you after the game, okay? Go to those doors over there,” she pointed behind her to the same doors she came through to meet her.

“Okay. I’ll see you,” Siena nodded, watching as Aberdeen disappeared through the door.

***

William scored in the second period, making Aberdeen convinced he was just trying to show off since he knew Siena was watching. Hell, he could probably see her from the bench. With the Leafs winning 4-2, Aberdeen was happy. But there was barely any time to celebrate. Everybody had to get ready to leave as soon as possible so they could get on the plane and fly to Buffalo.

It was why Aberdeen was dragging Siena through the back corridors eagerly. “Where are you bringing me?” Siena asked.

“You need some eye candy to take your mind off _Aaron_ ,” Aberdeen said. 

“So you’re bringing me to meet an old man?”

Aberdeen snorted. Brendan was three years younger than their dad. “Not quite.”

As they turned a corner, they came head to head with some of the guys, walking in and out of the locker room, their shirts half buttoned, their ties undone, some of them still in their hockey pants, topless. Siena stopped dead in her tracks. “ _Aberdeen_ —”

“—Feast your eyes—"

“—Aberdeen, I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t…oh… _oh my_ ,” Siena gasped like an old Southern woman as her eyes landed on a topless Pierre Engvall across the room. “Oh my _God_ you could have told me!” she pinched Aberdeen. “I could have dressed nicer!”

“Hello.” Siena jumped dramatically, turning around to see William behind her. She calmed down when she recognized him. “How are things?” he asked, his voice low so no-one else would hear. 

“Fine, thanks,” Siena’s voice was equally as low.

He stood up straight more and extended his hand. “I’m William, it’s nice to meet you. Siena, you said?”

Siena was taken aback for a second before she realized what William was doing. She wasn’t supposed to know who he was. She wasn’t supposed to be familiar with him. “Hi. Y—Yes,” she stuttered out, shaking his hand. “I’m Siena, Aberdeen’s older sister.”

“Hey! Who’s the stranger?” Auston called out from inside the locker room, looking at them standing in the doorway. 

“This is my sister, Matthews,” Aberdeen answered, saying it loud enough so the whole locker room would hear.

Most of the guys approached to shake her hand. Jason came up first, then Rasmus, then John and Freddie. Aberdeen didn’t think Siena would get starstruck by hockey players, but she apparently was, stuttering out hellos and pleasant conversations with the men. Aberdeen couldn’t help but giggle. “Jesus, Aberdeen,” Siena whispered eventually when nobody approached them and they were alone. “Are they around like this all the time?”

Aberdeen smiled. “You don’t know the half of it.”

It was at that point that Auston approached them, giving Siena a quick but flirty up-down that Siena didn’t catch but Aberdeen did. “ _This_ is your sister?” he asked, extending his hand and getting Siena’s attention. 

“Yes, she’s my sister.”

“You guys don’t _look_ like sisters,” he commented.

“I got much more of our dad’s Persian features,” Siena said, shaking his hand. Aberdeen had rolled her eyes – as if she hadn’t heard _that_ comment before about them not looking like sisters. “I’m Siena.”

“Siena. I’m Auston,” he smiled.

Aberdeen rolled her eyes playfully. “Go flirt with Willy, Auston. You didn’t get with Kasha and you’re definitely _not_ getting with my sister.”

Auston furrowed his brows at her playfully. “Get a life, Aberdeen,” he said before sticking his tongue out. “I hope you liked the game,” he said to Siena before walking away.

Siena was about to whisper something to Aberdeen, but then noticed the man from before making his way towards them. Her breath hitched in her throat and her entire body seized up. Aberdeen almost burst out laughing then and there. “Hello. I’m Pierre,” Pierre Engvall extended his hand for Siena to shake. “You’re Aberdeen’s sister?”

Aberdeen had to nudge her sister to get her to respond. She jerked her hand out to shake Pierre’s. “Hi! Yes yes, I’m Aberdeen’s sister, Siena. It’s nice you meet you Pierre.”

“Did you enjoy the game?” he asked.

“Yes. Yes. You guys played so well. I mean I don’t watch hockey much but—”

“Have you been to a game in Toronto?” he asked.

“No—I mean, not yet.”

“Well you should come. I’m sure Aberdeen could get you a ticket,” he smiled.

Before the flirt fest could go on any longer, Rasmus screamed something in Swedish at him, and Pierre laughed. “It was nice to you meet you Siena,” he said before walking away, punching Rasmus on the arm.

Siena looked at Aberdeen. Her eyes practically rolled to the back of her head. “Good God almighty, that man just made me sweat like a whore in church.”

Aberdeen snorted. “Don’t tell that to mom.”


	22. Chapter 21

**February 18 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was dejected. 

The Leafs had lost their last two games, but these felt different. They’d lost to Buffalo on Sunday 5-2, and Buffalo was one of the worst teams in the league. It didn’t even matter that there were a majority of Leaf fans in the building. Now, tonight, they’d just lost 5-2 again, but this time to Pittsburgh. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her phone, with tweet upon tweet upon tweet calling this the worst game of the season for the team. Just an absolutely awful game. No effort. No heart. No soul. One that they would have to answer for at home, since they faced them again on Thursday, but this time at home. She didn’t even _like_ hockey and she was taking everything to heart because, well – she was part of the team now. Everybody had told her that since day one. And now, at one of the lowest points in the season, she felt that.

She couldn’t stop scrolling. Couldn’t stop reading what everybody was saying. 

It was Tyson who had volunteered to drive her home tonight. Ever since Morgan broke his ankle, it was a rotation of Tyson or John. When Emma picked up Tyson, she was just as nice, but she missed Bee. She missed seeing the way Morgan looked at Bee when they were in the car, because it reminded her of how William looked at _her_ when they were alone.

Aberdeen shuffled into the backseat of Tyson’s SUV. Tyson was in the driver’s seat, and Emma was the passenger. Everyone was silent as Tyson began driving into the city – she and Emma could tell he was dejected and mad at the game that had transpired just a few hours ago. The short flight did nothing to quell his emotions. And as Emma laid her hand on his on the gearshift, Aberdeen watched as she moved her thumb back and forth, trying to tell him that it was all okay.

“Tys…it’s not your fault,” Emma said softly, _finally_ , after what felt like a lifetime of silence. 

“Em—”

“Tyson, _listen to me_.”

“—Emma, please, not right now—”

His eyes flashed to hers through the rear view mirror, but Emma wouldn’t listen to him. “I know it and you know it too. The whole defence is flawed. Plus, you guys are missing Mo. It’s not just you and _you know that_ —”

“—Emma, I really don’t want to talk about it right now—”

“—and besides, if – or should I say _when_ – you’re traded at the deadline, none of this will matter,” she dropped a bombshell. “Everyone knows you’re unhappy and it’s not working out and that you’re much better suited to play somewhere else.”

Aberdeen felt her body stiffen at the revelation. So Tyson was unhappy. Unhappy with playing on the Leafs. She knew he wasn’t having the best season, especially considering how successful he’d been in Colorado, but she didn’t think it was _that_ bad. He’d gotten better when Sheldon came in, but apparently that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to make him happy. And in Aberdeen’s life, happiness was important. It was almost paramount. What you did and who you surrounded yourself with and your work should, ultimately, make you happy. Was it the same in hockey? Were hockey players allowed to be happy? Were hockey players on _the Toronto Maple Leafs_ allowed to be happy? Or was everything just a business transaction? A long road to the ultimate success of lifting the Stanley Cup, regardless of who got hurt along the way?

Tyson let out a long sigh as he continued to drive, choosing not to answer his girlfriend or say anything else. When they got off the Gardiner and into downtown, Aberdeen was almost desperate to get out. She felt very awkward. Clearly Emma and Tyson wanted, _needed_ to have a conversation, and she was stopping that from happening. Just by being in the backseat. She almost wanted to just tuck and roll out of the car. Tyson could return her suitcase later. She really didn’t care at this point. 

When he pulled up outside her condo building, Aberdeen almost didn’t want until he stopped the car and put it in park to click her seatbelt off. “Hey Aberdeen,” Tyson looked at her through the rear view mirror. She paused all her movements to stare back at him through the mirror. “I uh…I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention to Brendan, uh, you know…what you heard…” he trailed off.

Aberdeen stared back at him doe-eyed. She shook her head slightly. “I don’t…I don’t tell Brendan about anything I find out about you guys. I mean I would never…” she said softly, trailing off too.

Tyson nodded, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Aberdeen.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem.”

When she got out of the car, Tyson popped the trunk so she could get her bag. After one last thank you, a polite wave, and a push of the button to get it to close, she walked into her condo building. She nodded towards the security guard before walking towards the elevators.

She wondered if William felt that same way when he played last year.

***

**February 20 th, 2020**

“Get ‘em!” Aberdeen growled as she looked down onto the ice. “ _Get ‘em_!!!”

Brendan chuckled as he watched Aberdeen, her hands balled up in fists as she practically hung over the box. He’d never seen her so into a hockey game before, and he didn’t know what had gotten into her. “You alright, Aberdeen?”

“ _Get ‘em_!”

He got a kick out of it. Kyle, too, was doing one of those silent chuckles and getting redder by the second. “Aberdeen, you’re going to blow your heart out. We’re gonna need to put you on meds,” Brendan commented. “You gotta remember that you’re staying until the proofs get here. You can’t waste all your energy now.”

Aberdeen calmed down a bit, but she was still on the edge of her seat. “Sorry,” she said. She knew she was maybe taking it a bit overboard, but she couldn’t help it. After the awful game against the Penguins on Tuesday, the Leafs were dominating them right now. Freddie was playing phenomenally, Jake Muzzin had just scored to put them up 1-0, and they were getting really good chances. It’s like the team did a complete 180 from what they were. She also knew, though, that she needed to stay at the arena later tonight, because the final proofs for the St. Pats jerseys were coming and she was the one who had to sign for them and place them safely and securely in Brendan’s office to see tomorrow. She didn’t know how long she’d be up tonight, and she’d need to conserve energy. 

“Don’t apologize. I just don’t want you to have a heart attack,” Brendan smiled. 

With the Leafs on a powerplay, Aberdeen was like a hawk following the puck. With Tavares, Matthews, and Nylander on the ice, she was praying for a goal. And then—

“YES!!!!!” she screamed as William scored a beautiful goal, jumping up in her seat and throwing her fist in the air like she was Bender at the end of _The Breakfast Club_. From beside her, Brendan and Kyle stayed unnaturally calm. Aberdeen looked over at them and tried to settle back into her seat calmly. “Sorry. Again,” she said, gripping the armrests of her chair. “But how can you guys be so calm?!”

“You get used to it,” Brendan smiled.

“Well, maybe _you_ do, Mr. Hockey Player,” Aberdeen joked.

“Especially when the camera is on you,” Kyle added.

Aberdeen’s face dropped. “Oh my God, I’m not on camera, am I?!”

Kyle shook his head, his smile spreading from ear to ear. “We’ll have to see, Aberdeen, but I don’t think so.”

The Leafs dominated the rest of game. Kasperi scored another goal only three minutes after William, and Zach scored in the third to make it 4-0. Freddie got the shutout. She knew he’d be happy about that, despite his stoic reserve. As she, Brendan, and Kyle made their way to the locker room, Aberdeen saw the media already speaking to Jake Muzzin. She knew they’d want to speak with the goal scorers too, and so when she saw William and Kasperi heading to the media room, along with John, Freddie, and Sheldon, she wasn’t surprised. It was a good game. Hopefully the media would back down a bit. 

She congratulated the guys and stood on the sidelines as Brendan and Kyle spoke to some of them once the media left. By that point, some of them were dressed and ready to head home. “Hey, you want a ride?” Jason offered as he approached her, tightening his tie around his neck.

“Oh, I’m staying back, actually,” Aberdeen informed him. He looked at her skeptically. “The final proofs are coming in for your St. Pats jerseys in March and I have to receive them and put them in Brendan’s office under lock and key.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Well, I can wait with you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Aberdeen, it’s fine. We can grab a bite to eat afterwards.”

“Jason, I might be here until, like, eleven.”

“So we’ll have an authentic Italian-style dinner then. All the more reason since I miss my motherland.”

“Jason—”

“Aberdeen, are you really going to say no me?”

She glared at him. It was like St. John’s all over again. Before she could open her mouth and say something else, another voice interrupted her. “Why’re you giving Jason the stink eye?” William asked as he approached them.

“I’m gonna wait with Aberdeen until the proofs come and then we’re gonna grab dinner. You in?” he asked William, but everybody already knew the answer.

William shrugged his shoulders casually, like Jason hadn’t just invited him to dinner with his own girlfriend. “I’m in.”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “You two are insufferable.”

“I like to think it’s part of our charm,” Jason smiled. “Let me call Jen and then we can go trash Brendan’s office.”

***

It was about 10:45 when Aberdeen, Jason, and William ended up at a small bar none of them had ever been to that served small pub-style plates. It was crowded, for some reason, even though it was a Thursday. Aberdeen quickly learned, judging by the drink specials, that it was their grand opening weekend, and tonight was their first official night open. Opening on a Thursday meant pandering to the university crowd for sure (whose pub nights usually took place on Thursdays), but this place was pretty full with an older, gruffier clientele that were seated at the bar and congregated in small groups around the open space in the centre of the room, away from the few booths against the wall. She wondered if they marketed the place wrongly, or if they just wanted to fill the place so they could say they had a successful opening. 

It was a bit loud, but she, Jason, and William ate their late dinner in relative peace. They spoke about the game only for a little bit before they moved on to other topics, making it abundantly clear to Aberdeen that they didn’t want to discuss hockey at all. The food was fine, and so, too, were the beers William and Jason had, but Aberdeen’s Long Island Iced Tea had _way_ too much rum in it so she couldn’t finish. 

By the time they finished, it was almost midnight and Aberdeen was starting to feel her fatigue. They were told to pay at the bar, so they gathered their jackets. Aberdeen insisted on paying for her meal, ever going so far as to run up to the bar herself, inching between some patrons in order to pay, before William or Jason could even get out of the booth. William, however, was right behind her, ready to Jason’s meal on his card.

“H—Hey! Hey! Look what we have here! Y-You’re Wiiiilliam Nylander,” a guy, older and very clearly inebriated, slurred out as he laid his eyes on them.

“That’s me,” William gave a tight-lipped smile, standing just slight behind Aberdeen, waiting his turn to pay.

The drunk guy focused his attention on Jason now. “You. Spezza.”

“Yup.”

He turned back towards William, shaking his head. “Teams like this can’t win the Cup. Esp-p-ecially not with this guy around.”

That caught Aberdeen’s attention. She furrowed her brows as the friend of the guy, obviously just as drunk, nodded his head in agreement. “Don’t have the heart like Dougie or Wendel. All a bunch of pussies now. Especially _you_.”

Aberdeen pulled her card out of the reader dramatically, turning her body so she could face them head on. “What the hell is your problem? There’s no need to be rude,” she said, her voice loud and firm.

“Aberdeen, stop it,” William said loud enough for her to hear.

“Y-Y-Yyyyou shoulda just sssigned the contract, man,” the drunk man grumbled out. 

Aberdeen tried again, ignoring William’s plea. “Sir, this isn’t the time or place,” she intervened, but William’s hands went straight to her waist to move her out of his way so she wasn’t standing in between them anymore. 

Suddenly, it was William closer to the drunk man that Aberdeen. The drunk guy apparently didn’t like that very much. “You’re damn – you’re damn _selfish_! Ssssselfish and greedyyyy,” the man continued to slur drunkenly. “Seeeelfish, no good—”

“Sir—” Aberdeen showed up beside William, refusing to stand behind him.

“I oughta hurt you like you hurt the fffranchise.”

Aberdeen’s eyes widened. That was a threat if she ever heard one, and even though he was drunk, Aberdeen didn’t like the tone of his voice. “Okay sir,” she chastised. “You need to stop overreacting. We’re just here trying to pay for our meal. This is _no time_ to be a dick.”

“You know what? Let’s just pay at the other end of the bar,” Jason said, trying to diffuse the situation as much as possible. He even started to herd William and Aberdeen away from the drunk man and down the opposite end of the bar. “You have fun with whatever whiskey you’re drinking,” he gave one last look to the man before walking away himself.

“Fuckin’ pussy!” the friend yelled loudly at William, already half way down the bar now.

Aberdeen looked back. William had grabbed her wrist and was dragging her through the crowd so she’d get to the other side with him. She watched as one of them slammed his glass down on the bar dramatically. “Willy—”

“Ignore them, Aberdeen.”

“Yeeeeeah, fuckin’ pussy! Fuckin’ lowlife! Worst Leaf on the team! Shoulda traded you back to Sweden, ya Swedish piece of shit!”

The men continued to yell obscenities and taunt William as they stood at the other end of the bar. Aberdeen stared at William as he stuck his credit card into the machine, quickly punching in his pin. “Does that happen often?” Aberdeen asked him.

“Aberdeen, _don’t_ ,” he shook his head, refusing to answer her as he pulled his card out of the machine and stuffed it back into his wallet. It was as if he didn’t want her to know; as if he wanted to protect her from learning just how awful some “fans” could be – at least to him.

“Did you pay?” Jason showed up beside them. William nodded. “Alright, then let’s get the hell out of here,” he ordered, herding them again to lead them out.

It all happened so fast that Aberdeen didn’t really know exactly that – what happened. All she knew was that she heard the guy yell from down the bar. Then she heard the breaking of glass (commonplace in bars, really) and someone else yell _“Put it down!”_ as she, Jason, and William continued towards the door. Then another voice screamed _“Watch out!”_ and she, Jason, and William turned their heads to look behind them.

Then it hit her.

Literally.

A glass had been thrown – obviously by one of the drunk men who had been harassing them – intended for William, but it hit Aberdeen right on the forehead instead. She staggered backwards but didn’t fall. As she brought her hand up to assess the damage, she could almost immediately feel blood dripping down the side of her eye. 

“Aberdeen!” Jason screamed.

William looked over and saw the blood on Aberdeen’s hand and it dripping down the side of her face. His eyes filled with anger. Jason, who was still looking at Aberdeen, saw the look she was giving William. He whipped his head towards William, who appeared ready to murder everybody in the room. “Will—William—” Jason tried to get his attention, but to no avail.

“ _Ohmygodareoyouokaaaaay?!”_ voices began to ask as they huddled around Aberdeen, William, and Jason worriedly, forming a protective circle around them. There were _so_ many people, _so_ concerned and so loud asking if she was okay that Aberdeen couldn’t even respond – she was too overwhelmed and too confused to even comprehend what was going on.

That’s when the two men ran out. When most of the people in the bar were distracted trying to see if Aberdeen was okay, the men had the wherewithal to completely book it out of the bar with nobody stopping them. It was only William who noticed, screaming out a loud _“HEY!”_ to try and get somebody’s attention to stop them, but nobody moved enough for him to get out of the scrum around Aberdeen to chase him. William focused his attention back on Aberdeen even though he could feel his cheeks flush red with anger and tears forming in his eyes. She was still holding the area above her eyebrow cautiously as the bartender waved her over. Jason and William led her towards the bar, making sure she didn’t step on any of the shattered glass that now littered the floor. The bartender was already opening the first aid kit. William heard Jason tell everyone _“It’s fine, it’s fine, we don’t need your help, it’s alright, we’ll handle it, we’ll handle it.”_

Aberdeen was offered a bar stool to sit on, but she turned it down. She didn’t want to be on display for everyone to see; she was already embarrassed enough as is. “You wanna go into a washroom?” the bartender asked, and Aberdeen nodded her head. He led them to the wheelchair bathroom, since there would be space for all of them, and ushered them in. “The emergency rooms are just up the street. They’ll do stitches.”

William glared at the bartender. “Aren’t you even gonna call a paramedic or something? What about _the cops_?” he demanded, his voice shaking from the anger he was still feeling. “Can we look at security cameras to get a face?”

“Bro, we don’t want cops or paramedics here opening night. That would kill us,” the bartender said. William couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “We don’t have cameras installed yet, either. Just clean it up and take it to emerge. It’s, like, two blocks north.”

William felt like punching the bartender square in the jaw. And he would have, too, for being so insensitive about it, if it wasn’t for Jason opening the first aid box loudly against the counter. Jason, for his part, glared at the bartender too. “You can leave now,” he growled, focusing his attention back on finding what he needed within the kit. “Useless piece of shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

Aberdeen sat on the toilet, trying to collect her thoughts and emotions. She’d gotten hit with a fucking flying glass in the middle of a bar. A glass seemingly intended for Willy, thrown by a drunk guy, but it had hit her. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She was sure her hand was covered in blood at this point; she didn’t even want to know what her face looked like. “Did I get busted open?” she asked, even though she was well aware of the answer. She needed someone else to confirm it so this all felt real and not like a nightmare.

“Yeah,” Jason said softly. “Listen, if that dipshit isn’t gonna call the cops or paramedics, I want to clean it before we go to the walk-in. Your face has a lot of blood on it.”

Aberdeen nodded her head slightly. There was nothing else she could do, really. It wasn’t like she was going to reject any medical attention, from Jason or otherwise. “Is it gonna hurt?” she asked.

“Of course it’ll hurt, but I don’t want any of the blood to crust and dry,” he said. 

“Am I gonna need stitches? I’ve never gotten stitches before.”

“Move your hand a bit and let me see,” Jason said. She moved her hand the slightest bit, too scared to move it anymore out of fear that blood would gush out like some Halloween decoration, and Jason looked up close. “Yeah, probably,” he deadpanned. William winced at the thought.

“Oh, Jesus. Is it gonna scar?”

“No. Not deep enough to scar. At least not to me,” he said. She trusted him, if only because he was a father of four and had been around the block a few times. He cleaned her face as much as he could of the blood that had streamed down. She watched as he got some alcohol and put it onto a pad, prepped a sterile gauze, and whatever else he needed. Now, are you ready?” he asked. 

“I guess so,” Aberdeen braced herself. She took her hand off the injury, relieved that no blood gushed onto Jason’s shirt. “On three, okay?” she asked. Jason nodded his head. She began to count. “One…two—”

She let out a guttural scream as Jason put the rubbing alcohol on her early so she wouldn’t wince away. It fucking _stung_. The sound that escaped her made Will’s heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He never wanted to hear it again. When he looked over, she was writhing on the toilet seat. Even Jason’s face was pained at her screams, but he was doing what he needed to do. After doing as much as he could, he took one last look at it before putting the sterile gauze on it, grabbing Aberdeen’s hand to hold it against the cut. 

“You ready to go to emerge?” Jason asked.

Tears had streamed down her face at this point. She didn’t have a good tolerance for pain. She nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

***

It was just past two in the morning before an emergency room doctor saw Aberdeen. Jason had called Jen to let her know what happened and let her know that he was going to be extra late, and William…well, William was silent. He was still red with rage as they sat in the emergency room, with Jason and Aberdeen making conversation, but he was silent. Truthfully, all Aberdeen wanted to do was hug him, hold his hand, and nestle into him, but she couldn’t. It would have made things a hundred times better, but Jason being there meant that it was impossible. She noticed William’s silence from the moment they were in the washroom at the awful place and Jason had cleaned the wound. She was hoping that he wasn’t blaming himself.

“So, Miss Bloom, what happened here?” Dr. Behari asked as she sat on the gurney, Jason and William standing near her with their arms crossed. 

“Some guy at a bar threw a glass and it hit me,” Aberdeen explained simply. “I think I’m going to need stitches.”

The doctor nodded, then looked towards Jason and William. “And you’re her bodyguards?” he joked.

Jason smiled, but William didn’t. “Friends,” Jason said. “I cleaned it up a bit with rubbing alcohol at the bar, doctor. I – It was the only thing I could think to do.”

The doctor nodded, stepping closer towards Aberdeen. “Let me take a look, Miss Bloom, and I can clean it and see if you need stitches.” Aberdeen took her hand and the gauze off the cut and the doctor put on his gloves. “Aallllllright…” he mumbled as he checked it, Aberdeen wincing in pain slightly as he pressed down on it. “You’ve got no residual glass in it, which is great. All we have to do is clean it up and give you some stitches.”

The thought of stitches made Aberdeen a bit woozy. She tried not to think about what they’d have to do. “Is it a deep cut? Like is it gonna scar?” she asked.

“Not a deep cut at all,” the doctor shook his head. “I’m only putting it one layer of stitches. You’ll probably have the slightest scar once it’s all healed but it’s easily covered with makeup, and due to placement, it won’t be too noticeable.” Suddenly, the curtain that blocked off the room opened, and some supplies and medical equipment were ushered in. Jason and William looked to see everything that Dr. Behari would need laid out on the tray. “Ah! Here we go. Have you ever received stitches before, Miss Bloom?”

“No sir.”

“Think of it as me putting this beautiful masterpiece of a face back together,” he joked, causing Aberdeen and Jason to laugh. William still wasn’t laughing, and Jason took notice. 

“You’re great, Doctor Behari,” Aberdeen giggled. “I’m gonna get a scar like a real hockey player now.”

“Ahhhhh, so you guys are hockey players, huh?” he gestured towards Jason and William. “I’ve stitched up a bad hockey injury once or twice in my day.”

Dr. Behari continued with what he needed to do, cleaning up the wound and making sure everything was well and prepped for the stitches. The second he picked up the needle filled with lidocaine though, to numb the area so Aberdeen wouldn’t feel the stitches as much, William became more visibly upset. For the last two hours he looked like he was about to cry, and now he just looked extremely pained, distressed at the thought of what Aberdeen had to go through.

It took Jason intervening for William to stop thinking over and over about when the glass met Aberdeen’s head; the look in her eyes and the blood on her face as she tried to stop the bleeding with her hand. “Will, can you breathe for me?” he mumbled, Aberdeen and Dr. Behari too deep in a conversation to hear them.

William started shaking his head. “He needs to be arrested. He needs to be charged with assault. We need to find him,” his voice was still trembling. 

“Will, we’re not gonna find him. He ran off,” Jason tried to reason with him. “There aren’t even any cameras we can check – the manager said. We just have to let it go.”

“No. That’s not good enough,” William was persistent. “We need to—”

“Listen to me,” Jason said in a low voice, grabbing William’s forearm and turning him away from Aberdeen and the doctor. They stood right in between the hallway and the curtain sectioning off the room. “I understand this is _personal_ for you because it’s Aberdeen, but you need to be level-headed right now, because as much as the doctor is making her laugh, she’s gonna see the stitches and probably get scared. And she’s going to be looking at _you_ to help calm her down and tell her it will be alright.”

William stopped breathing during the first part of Jason’s sentence. He furrowed his brows, trying to brush it off, and brush off what Jason was implying. “I don’t know what you mean about this being personal for me—”

“Will, come on,” Jason interrupted him. “I’m too old to be fucked with. We all see the way that you look at her and we know you have the biggest crush imaginable on her. It’s not like it’s a fucking secret.”

“H—How do I look at her?”

“She’s the only person you ever _see_ , Will,” Jason deadpanned. “But…beyond that. You have to remember Brendan’s gonna be asking questions tomorrow at the office. I’ll handle a majority of that but he’s going to want the story from you too and you better be on your best behaviour or else he’ll figure out your little crush and Aberdeen will be fucked. Do you understand?”

William couldn’t look Jason in the eye anymore. He bit down on his bottom lip nervously, knowing that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “I think he already knows…” he mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I think…Brendan already knows about the crush. At the Christmas party out on the ice I guess he caught me looking and he told me she can’t do anything with me until she leaves, and more importantly, I can’t do anything with her.”

Jason looked like he’d seen a ghost. “And?”

“And _what_?”

“Are you _doing_ anything with her?”

Here it was. William’s first opportunity to lie outright to a teammate, a friend, a colleague, a guy that he looked up to immensely. Aberdeen had had to do it with Siena, now he’d have to do it with Jason. His _girlfriend_ was a mere fifteen feet away and he had to deny that anything was going on. “What?! _Of course not_!” he said angrily. 

“William I swear to fucking God—"

“ _Nothing_ is happening,” he stressed. “Jesus, Jason. How awful do you think I am? I wouldn’t do something like that to her.”

“Don’t fuck with me Willy. She’s got too bright a future for you to—”

“ _I know that_ ,” William stressed. “I. Know. That. That’s _why_ nothing has happened. That’s _why_ it’s stayed a crush.”

“You promise me right here, right now, in the middle of this hospital while she’s getting stitches, that there’s nothing going on between you two, or so help me God, Willy—”

“ _There’s nothing going on between us_ ,” William said bluntly. He saw Jason’s face relax slightly, meaning that he was buying it. “I’ve got my crush and that’s it. But there’s nothing going on between us. _Nothing_.”

“Woohoo! Boys!” Dr. Behari called out, interrupting their conversation. “Miss Bloom wants to hold one of your big strong hands just in case she feels anything. Any takers?”

Jason raised his eyebrows at William and gave him a look. William gave Jason one last look before walked over, stood next to Aberdeen, and offered his hand. She grabbed it without hesitation.

Jason watched.

***

**February 22 nd, 2020**

“What in _God’s name_ happened to your eye?” Brendan demanded as he got his first look at Aberdeen Saturday morning. In the town car, Lou had already commented on it. Now Brendan got to see it, bright and early in the morning before heading towards the office.

“It’s a long story,” Aberdeen mumbled.

“Well we’ve got a long drive to the office.”

She sighed. She recounted the events of the previous night to Brendan, from Jason and William agreeing to stay back with her, to them going to dinner, to the rude men, to the bottle throwing. Brendan looked more and more horrified as time went on, and especially angry when she got to the part with the rude men. They were essentially targeting one of his players, one of his _star_ players, with assault; instead, that assault ended up hurting his executive assistant. And when she mentioned the no cameras and the clueless bartender, he got _really_ angry, because there was nothing _he_ could do either. 

“And so, here we are,” Aberdeen finished. “I’m three days out from my 22nd birthday and one week out from my party and I have a giant scar on my face.”

Brendan could tell by her tone that she wasn’t necessarily upset about it, per se, but that she was more so a bit self-conscious about how it looked. “It’s not that big,” he said, trying to not make it a big deal. “The stitches will be out soon anyway. You don’t want to see some of the scars I’ve gotten. I mean…” he trailed off, pointing to the one on his top lip and the one on his chin, “yours won’t look as bad as these. Won’t end up as bad as these either.”

“You don’t think so?”

Brendan shook his head. “No chance. It’s only three stitches. Did you tell your parents?”

“Yeah, we FaceTimed so I could show them. They don’t want me in bars past sundown now,” she giggled slightly. “I’m going to have to go to my doctor before we leave for Tampa Bay to see if they can get taken out though. By then it will have been four days. The emergency room doctor said it should be okay by then.”

“I’ll call Noah and have him take a look at it once we get to the arena,” he said, referring to Dr. Noah Forman, the team’s head physician. “I’ll call Jason and Will in, too. To let me know what happened.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. It was only logical to talk to them about it to. William had been the one targeted, after all. “Are you excited for tonight?” she asked, trying to change the subject. 

Brendan shrugged. “Last time we faced Carolina it was an… _interesting_ game,” he said. “How much more interesting can it get?”

***

Aberdeen was absolutely horrified. Just absolutely fucking _horrified_ at what was transpiring in front of her very eyes. A complete and utter collapse. Something that couldn’t be real. Something she didn’t want to be real. Something that was affecting her more than she ever thought hockey would. If Aberdeen thought that Penguins game on Tuesday was bad, this was a hundred times worse. A thousand. A million. A billion times worse.

The Leafs were losing to the Hurricanes. 6-3. And who was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes? Their emergency backup goalie, who was, somehow, also the Toronto Marlies’ Zamboni driver. Yes. The Toronto Maple Leafs were losing to a Zamboni driver. _Their own Zamboni driver_.

She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. 

Brendan had already left the box. He’d asked her not to follow him. That made her incredibly nervous, because usually when he was upset or disappointed about games, she was still following him like a little puppy. That wasn’t the case now; he clearly wanted to be alone and alone he would be, wherever he happened to be. 

When the final buzzer rang, Aberdeen felt her heart rate go up even more, because it now meant that she did have to go find him. She didn’t want to be in the locker room right now. The team needed to be with their coach, and she didn’t exactly want to hear whatever was going to go down in there. She wanted to remain willfully ignorant. So instead, she began walking towards the offices, where a part of her knew Brendan would be.

She was quiet as she walked down the hallway and towards her desk. She saw Brendan’s door almost closed, and knew he was inside his office. She gathered her things, grabbed her jacket, and took a deep breath. 

She knocked lightly on his office door. “Come in,” she heard him say absent-mindedly. 

She pushed the door open slowly. When she revealed herself in the doorway, Brendan’s eyebrows rose slightly. He was surprised she’d come and find him. But he didn’t want her to know that. Most other personal assistants he’d had usually let him be when he did something like this. But Aberdeen was different. “Oh, there you are,” he said, his voice low as he cleared his throat. There were a few moments of silence as he thought of something to say. “We need to go over the, uh…the proofs for the St. Pats jerseys,” he held out his hand.

Aberdeen was nervous. He was a bit too calm for her liking, considering what had just happened. She knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it exactly, but still. “Okay. Um, yeah, sure. I have it right here,” she said as she began digging through her bag with all the files in it. There were so many to sort through, and she knew she was taking a while. 

“By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that _thrills_ me,” Brendan said.

She pulled the proofs out of her bag and handed them to him. He took them, a bit dramatically she thought, and opened them up. “Okay, so…they’re done. They can be sent,” he said dismissively, putting his signature at the bottom of every page of proofs.

Aberdeen was shocked, slightly. There was so much back and forth on them because they had to be _perfect_ and now he’d just signed off on them? “They…they’re done? So I don’t need to bring them back to the artist and fetch them back tomorrow?” she began to pull out her iPad so she could change her schedule. 

“Well, if you think the team is worthy of even wearing these jerseys and want to convince me to not just scrap the whole damn idea…then yes, fetch away. You’re very fetching, so go fetch,” he grumbled out with a resolute emotion of nothingness in his voice. 

Aberdeen stopped her movements. Okay, so he _was_ affected by what had just happened. And he was going to let it all out now, in front of her, with no-one else around. No Kyle. No Sheldon. No team. Nobody but her. As she continued to stare at him, he couldn’t look her in the eye; he was looking everywhere in his office but her, even though she stood right across his desk from him. “You’ll need to contact PR, um…Leslie, to see what she can do to minimize the press on all this,” he continued, pursing his lips together, looking out into a void. “Another humiliating loss splashed across the Toronto Sun. I can just imagine what they’re going to write about us. The Toronto Maple Leafs lose to a Zamboni driver who works for them. The most embarrassing loss yet, and it’s under my watch. Every newspaper in this city should cut me a check for all the papers I sell for them.” He shook his head, pausing for a few moments to collect himself, and finally looked at Aberdeen. “Anyway, I don’t…I don’t really care what anybody writes about me. But the team. I just… _the team_. It’s just another disappointment…another let down. Another bad game. _Horrible_ game.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what to say. She knew this was Brendan’s version of spilling his guts out to her. This loss had taken its toll on him – was going to take its toll on _everyone_ in the organization, and he was the guy heading the entire operation. It all fell on his shoulders. And Kyle’s. But he was the overseer of it all. He put the brunt of the blame on himself – not on the players or the general manager. “Anyway, the point is…the point is…” he cleared his throat. Aberdeen could see him visually recollect himself. “The point is, we really need to get these proofs sent first thing tomorrow morning, because I’d like to see the jerseys before they get sent to the players.”

It was weird to Aberdeen how he could just switch like that – from experiencing the lowest of the low to going back to normal again. She wondered if it was a hockey thing, because Willy did it too – he would be upset after losses, especially bad ones, but it would quickly become dirt off his shoulder. She held on to her emotions and feelings much longer than them. “I’m so sorry, Brendan,” she offered. She knew there was nothing else she could say to him. “If you want me to cancel your morning tomorrow, I can.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we do that?” he asked.

Aberdeen offered a tight-lipped smile. “Is there anything else I can do?” she asked.

Brendan nodded quickly. “Your job.”

***

Aberdeen called Siena the moment she was out of the office and walking home. She’d been okayed to go home by Brendan. She’d texted Will, but he wasn’t answering, so God knows what was going on in the locker room right now. She didn’t want to stay at Scotiabank Arena for that very reason. She just knew it was too much for her to handle. 

She knew it was too much because she was already crying. Silent tears, but tears nonetheless. She prayed to God that Siena picked up.

“Hey,” Aberdeen finally heard her voice. “What’s up?”

“Siena…” Aberdeen’s voice was shaky. “Siena did you watch the game?”

“No, why? What’s wrong?”

Aberdeen sniffled. “I never thought I’d be crying about sports but here I am crying about the Leafs!” she blubbered out.

“Why? What happened?”

“We just had the most _God awful_ game,” Aberdeen huffed out. “We lost to our own _Zamboni driver_.”

There was a pause on Siena’s end. “Aberdeen, are you drunk?”

“NO!!!” she exclaimed. “Go check the highlights or whatever. Go turn on TSN. It was _humiliating_. We’re going to get absolutely roasted. It’s going to be _so bad_ and—”

“Aberdeen—Aberdeen you need to calm down,” Siena urged on the other end of the phone. “It’s not your fault, Aberdeen. And it’s not your problem. Why are you so upset about it? It’s not like you’re a part of the team.”

Aberdeen felt a punch to her heart at Siena’s words. But she _was_. Everyone had told her that she was – Brendan, Kyle, the guys, _everyone_ – and she had no reason to think otherwise. It was hammered into her since the beginning. For all intents and purposes, she _was_ a member of the team, which is why it hurt her so badly. Siena didn’t understand that. Siena didn’t understand how all the traveling together made them closer; how all the guys looked out for her – not in a patronizing way, just…in their own way – like they were her older brothers, especially after what happened at Christmas; how the word family was tossed around so often that Aberdeen really _felt_ that this was a family in its own way, with a bunch of moving parts, often dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless. Siena didn’t understand any of it. “Yes I am,” Aberdeen said meekly, offering nothing. She couldn’t put into words what she’d just thought, and even if she could, Siena, with all her smarts, wouldn’t understand them. “I _am_ a part of the team.”

“Just sleep on it, alright? I’m sure everybody is going to forget about it by tomorrow morning,” Siena offered, showing truly just how much she didn’t understand. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

At that exact moment, a car pulled up on the curb alongside Aberdeen. When she looked over, she saw William in the driver’s seat. He was already looking at her. “Okay, bye,” she ended the call abruptly, stuffing her phone into her coat pocket before approaching and opening the door, slipping into the passenger’s seat easily.

When Aberdeen looked over at William, he immediately noticed her red eyes. His heart tightened in his chest. “Why are you crying, minskatt?” he asked.

“How could you not be?” she asked back.

He leaned over the centre console to kiss her. “Please stop, minskatt. I can’t stand to see you cry.”

“I don’t know what to feel – what to do – I don’t know what to say to you to make you feel better about this,” she lamented.

“Shhhh shhh shhh,” William kissed her again, bringing his of his hands up to cup her face. “You don’t need to say anything.”

“Don’t I?”

William shook his head slightly. “You’re here, aren’t you?” he asked, as if that was enough. As if that’s all he needed, when really, Aberdeen knew he’d need so much more. That _she_ would need so much more. “D’you want to come back to my place?”

Aberdeen looked William in the eye. He wasn’t asking politely. He was begging. She nodded. “Okay.”

***

Aberdeen was getting scared at how good she was getting at lying. She’d made up a stupid story about needing to stay late at the arena again for the trade deadline so Kasha would go to bed and not wait up for her. Kasha bought it. Aberdeen didn’t even know if she was staying at William’s tonight or if she’d walk into her apartment at three o’clock in the morning again, for the second time in two days. 

(As if William would bring her to his apartment and then tell her to leave in the middle of the night.)

He took her to a tall, glass condo building, only about a ten minute walk from hers but closer to the south core that made him possible to practically walk to all the games if he wanted to. He held her hand firmly in his once they got out of the car and walked through the parking garage, getting on the elevator. William pushed the button for one of the top floors. Of course he’d have a penthouse. 

Aberdeen was still too caught up in her own emotions to realize how big this was – every other encounter had been at her place, and now she was finally seeing his space. When he opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised at what she was greeted with. She knew it was rented, and so she half expected it to be kind of dull with no personality, but that wasn’t the case. There were touches of William everywhere in the apartment – the slight, boyish messiness just adding to it. Expensive shoes scattered at the entryway. A few plants that weren’t dead, so she figured they were fake. A giant, comfy looking couch in the main area with a massive TV that was hooked up to every gaming console known to man. And pictures. Lots and lots and _lots_ of pictures everywhere. All of his family.

She could tell that there was a spare bedroom on one side of the apartment, and she saw a door leading to the master. William put his keys in the bowl in the middle of the kitchen island, watching her as she looked around his apartment. “So what do you think?” he asked.

“Do you miss your family on nights like this? When it’s a really bad game and really embarrassing?” Aberdeen asked, staring at a picture he had of him and him sisters together, holding them all in a giant bear hug as their smiles stretched from ear to ear.

The question caught him completely off guard. “Of course I do. I miss them all the time,” he said.

“What do you do on nights like tonight?”

“I sit on my couch and watch TV until I’m not thinking about it anymore,” William admitted. “Lately I’ve really been meaning to do it with my girlfriend.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. Even after a night like tonight, he was still flirting with her. “Do you have a change of clothes?”

They went into his bedroom – bed messy, but huge; closet overflowing, but orderly; giant floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the other skyscrapers around them – and she changed into a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt that looked Supreme-branded but instead said ‘spaghetti’. It smelled like him, thoroughly, and the second she put it on she felt like she was being hugged, even though it was about six sizes too big. They changed together, and when they were done, they made their way back to the living room and William turned on the TV, pulling her towards the big couch. He made her sit down first before kneeling down between her legs, resting his head on her stomach just beneath her breasts before wrapping his arms around her. 

It was calm. It was nice. It was mindless. William was mindless as he laid there, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend in his clothes, watching TV but not really watching TV. Aberdeen was mindless as she laid there, running her fingers through William’s hair soothingly, watching TV but not really watching TV. It was a while before Aberdeen decided to speak again. “You know, it’s not healthy to not talk about it,” she said. 

She felt William sigh. “You know I’m not good with words, minskatt.”

“Oh, I think that’s a lie. You’re great with words,” she said.

“No I’m not.”

“William, every author in the English language wishes they came up with the words, _‘I think about you when I’m not even thinking’_ , including _me_ ,” she countered.

William couldn’t help but smile. “Those words are only for you,” he said.

“I know,” she said, “but can you please give me some other words so I know that you’re okay? Because I’m worried.”

The fact that he was making her worried made him compelled to talk. That was the last thing he wanted. “I just…I just know that we’re never going to hear the end of it. And I hate that. I hate that it’s gonna be the big joke now. Because hockey isn’t a joke to me. Neither is the Leafs.” He paused and Aberdeen was silent, and he knew that silence was urging him to continue. “It happened because…it happened because they rallied around their goalie. They protected him. They had his back. And we didn’t. We just…we didn’t. And I _hate_ it when we do that. Because I have…I have every guy in that locker room’s back. I do. But sometimes it just…” he sighed, shaking his head. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out how I want it to.”

Aberdeen had continued to run her fingers through his hair. She nodded at the end of his speech. “I’m not going to pretend that I know what it feels like, because I don’t,” she said. “I haven’t been a fan of hockey and I don’t understand it like you do but I know how much a game like this can affect the group, especially with the media in this city. But I got emotional about it because I know how much it affects you. Even if you won’t tell me about it.”

“I don’t mean to not tell you,” William said. “I just…” he paused again, thinking if he should even say anything. “It’s that besides my dad and brother, nobody’s ever really…you know, _listened_. So I just stopped talking.”

Aberdeen’s heart broke. At that point, she stopped running her fingers through his hair and forced him to sit up, even though her legs were still wrapped around him, so she could look him in the eye. She thought about Mike Babcock and what he’d done to Will. She thought about all the other hockey coaches he had and wondered if they were just as bad. “Willy…” she said softly, running her thumb along his jawline and lips. “Willy, I want you to talk to me more. About hockey. About your family. About your feelings. About everything. Please. _Please_.”

William nodded. He understood completely what she was asking him to do, and he was going to make a concerted effort to do so, because he loved her. He loved her so much and he didn’t want to see her worrying about him. “I will, minskatt. I will, for you,” he said, kissing her quickly. He shifted them so she was straddling his body. “I just have to get used to somebody listening.”

“Willy, I’m _always_ going to listen to you. Don’t forget that, okay?” she asked, cradling his face in her hands.

He nodded, quickly kissing her again. The words were coming now, and he couldn’t stop them. Aberdeen had that power over him. “What happened the other night at the bar was my fault,” he said.

“What?” Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of her head dramatically. “Willy, that was not your fault at _all_ —”

“Yes it was—”

“No it wasn’t—”

“Yes, yes it was,” he said sternly. “And I couldn’t take it. I was so mad, minskatt. I was shaking. I wasn’t able to stop it or to protect you or—”

“Willy—Willy, _stop_. Willy, it wasn’t your fault at all,” she repeated. “Those stupid guys were drunk.”

“But they were aiming for me. They hated _me_. I wish that glass would’ve hit me instead,” he said, bringing his hand up to her scar and touching it lightly.

“Don’t you dare say something like that. It was a freak accident, Willy. There was nothing either of us could do,” she said, hoping he would soon realize it.

William paused for a moment. “You’d talk to me too, right? Like you want me to talk to you?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head confidently. “Were you scared that night?”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Just a little bit. But you were there. And Jason. And when I realized that, I wasn’t so scared anymore. I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.”

William nodded. “Are you listening?”

“Yes…”

“I love you.”

Aberdeen smiled. “I love you too.”

They began kissing. Lightly, at first, and then Aberdeen couldn’t help but stick her tongue down his throat, and William couldn’t help but squeeze at the flesh of her thighs. As they made out like teenagers on his couch, Aberdeen placed her hands over his and guided them to her ass. 

William giggled slightly into the kiss. “Aberdeen…” he said in a playfully accusing tone.

“I only want to remember feeling your hands there instead,” she mumbled against his lips. 

William froze. Suddenly and all at once, her words hit him like shards of glass, cutting him to his very core. _“I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.”_ Ethan. She still thought about what happened with Ethan – she still thought about it and it affected her and it made her scared, something she hadn’t admitted to before. William felt like killing Ethan all over again right then and there, with Aberdeen sitting on his lap. What affected her wasn’t a physical wound; what affected her was something much deeper.

“Listen to me,” he said, his hand cradling her chin, thumb gliding over her lips softly as she’d done to him earlier. “Nobody is going to do that to you again, okay? Not while I’m here.” 

Aberdeen nodded her head. She believed him completely.

“I mean it, Aberdeen,” he pressed.

“I know.”

“If I ever saw him on the street, I’d fucking kill him for what he did to you. For how he made you feel. And I want you to know that, like…you’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more. He was a pig who couldn’t see that but I can,” William said.

Aberdeen almost burst out into tears at his words. _You’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more_. She could have cried right then and there. But instead, she nodded her head before kissing William again, even more eager this time, wanting to show him just how much she appreciated him, just how much she believed him, just how much she loved him.


	23. Chapter 22

**February 24 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom watched as Brendan and Kyle were answering phones left, right, and centre.

Seriously. At one point, Kyle had three on his ears. He didn’t have three ears. All because of the damned trade deadline. And it was still only 9:30 in the morning. 

The room was set up the way she was told to set it up; prepared how Brendan wanted it prepared. Every major voice for both the Leafs and the Marlies was in the room – Brendan, Kyle, Brandon, Dave, Reid, Leanne, Sheldon, Paul, Dave, Andrew, Jim, Troy, and even Laurence, Mike, Greg, AJ, and Rob from the Toronto Marlies. At the front of the room, on the whiteboard, there were the names of all the players – even those in the system – glued to magnets so they could move them around. On the other side were magnets with names of some other players from teams that they’d been looking at bringing in through a trade. Three phones were hooked up in the room, and Brendan and Kyle were on their cellphones a lot. There was a TV set up for video playback and hooked up to Reid’s laptop. Brendan would exit and enter the board room at will while he was on his phone. So would Kyle. Kyle was dealing with most of the possible cap stuff. There were worksheets everywhere. 

And in the back of Aberdeen’s mind, all she could think about was Tyson Barrie.

He’d been on her mind since the drive home, really, and since all the ramp up for the trade deadline started. And she couldn’t help but wonder if Brendan and Kyle knew of him wanting to be traded and him being unhappy. Did Brendan and Kyle concern themselves with the private lives of their players? Even if the player said nothing? That was the ultimate question Aberdeen needed answered, because now that she recognized all the clues, it was glaringly obvious to her how much Tyson wanted out. She hadn’t said anything, obviously. His name magnet wasn’t moving around much, but she knew how much he wanted to be moved. She was conflicted. 

“This motherfu…” she heard Brendan mumble as he looked down at his phone. “Can someone post a memo to the entire fucking league that we’re _not_ trading Nylander, for fuck sakes,” he announced to the room. “The core isn’t on the fucking table unless Connor Mc-fucking-David is in the mix.”

Aberdeen let out a shaky breath she didn’t know she was holding in. William being traded was not, for some reason, a worry of hers, if only because everyone knew he was having a banner year and Kyle had made explicitly clear that he wasn’t going to be traded so long as he was GM. 

_Kapanen._

_Johnsson._

_Gauthier._

_Holl._

_Ceci._

“It’s not in his contract but Spezza won’t go anywhere. He _wants_ to be here.”

“If Johnsson goes it’s one less player we offer up to Seattle when the time comes.”

“Can Kappy go? He’s good bait. He’s got a friendly contract.”

It didn’t help that everything ended at 3pm. It also didn’t help that they had a charter flight waiting for them at 4:30 to take them to Tampa for their game tomorrow. Aberdeen didn’t know how they were going to handle this timeline. What if they made a blockbuster trade? What if someone was shipped off to the west coast at 2:59pm and had to uproot his whole life? Everybody in the room wasn’t exactly calm, but she didn’t know how they could take about trading these players as if they were cattle being moved. She knew this happened in all sports, but now that she was a part of it (well, in the room – it wasn’t like she was making decisions), it made everything more complicated for her. 

“Tyson’s staying. Tyson – no – Tyson – Tyson is – Tyson is staying,” she heard Brendan repeating to Kyle, in what looked like a semi-private conversation. She couldn’t hear some of the other things he was saying, but some words were said loud enough. Contract. Avalanche. Kadri trade. Defense. Rielly-Barrie. 

_Happy_.

Aberdeen gulped. Did Brendan think he was happy here? Did Kyle? Because she knew the exact opposite. She knew Tyson wasn’t, but she was sworn to secrecy by Tyson that she wouldn’t say a word to Brendan. But Brendan was wrong. Tyson wanted out. 

_Should…should she say something?_

She liked Tyson. She wanted to see him happy. It was complicated, though, because she had no loyalty to him. She did, in a way, as an acquaintance – as someone who overheard a private conversation and then was asked not to share the details of it – but she had more loyalty to Brendan. Her _boss_. The guy who was trying to build a team that would win the Stanley Cup. The guy that her job depended on. 

“Aberdeen.”

Like, who was she loyal to the most? If she actually said something to Brendan, would Tyson hate her forever? Would the entire team turn their back on her and hate her forever too? Because she couldn’t shut her mouth? Because she was a tattle-tale and exposed—

“Aberdeen.”

—exposed a secret of one of the players to the boss? But that secret was tied to his mental health. It’s not like she saw a guy hook up with a teammate’s girlfriend or escort or do blow off a toilet seat or something. This was integral to the well-being of a player—

“ _Aberdeen_!”

She snapped out of her thoughts to see and hear Brendan calling her over. She jumped out of her seat and ran over to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Sorry. What do you need?”

“I think Chipotle is in order for lunch for everyone,” he said. “Do you mind taking everyone’s orders?”

Seventeen Chipotle orders later, Aberdeen was waiting in the restaurant at a bar table, most definitely holding up the line that was starting to form due to her massive order. She took out her phone and saw that William had texted her a heart earlier but she hadn’t seen it. He had the day off.

_how bad does tyson want out of Toronto?_

_be honest_

_how do u know?_

_i overheard him and emma talking when they drove me home once_

_is it really bad?_

_can i call u?_

_no_

_it’s not that he doesn’t like it here bc he loves the guys and he likes the city_

_well he really didn’t like babs_

_i think that’s a given_

_but he found it really hard to transition from colorado to here_

_like he couldn’t adjust_

_and support wise he didn’t or doesn’t feel he’s been supported enough_

_and he’s trying his hardest to mesh within the lines and be the guy he was in colorado but he just can’t_

_and it’s driving him crazy_

Aberdeen felt herself take a deep breath. Not that she thought the conversation in the car was out of the blue or a one-off, but at least she had confirmation from another source now. She couldn’t help but wonder if Tyson talked to the guys on the team about it. Like, was it an open secret between them? 

_why r u asking minskatt_

She knew she’d have to lie about that one. Even though William was her boyfriend, she couldn’t reveal any secrets of what was happening in that war room. If she did, Brendan would probably put her head in a guillotine. 

_all i see on twitter and the sports channels is us moving him_

_they think they’re in the war room with us but they’re not_

_and it’s just funny to me that they already think it’s a done deal_

_welcome to the toronto media_

_i am getting traded too, haven’t u heard ;)_

Aberdeen smiled. He was such a little shit. 

_you’re never leaving me._

_never, minskatt <3_

“Alright, I got seventeen bowls!” the cashier yelled, and Aberdeen knew that was her cue. They were all stuffed into multiple bags and labelled appropriately, so she handed over the company card to pay. Holding the four bags in both hands, she made her way back towards the office. 

When she got back, it was very chaotic. The reports were now everywhere. Half the people in the room had left to do God knows what. Kyle was frustrated on the phone with someone. And Brendan was nowhere to be seen. “You might want to find him,” Kyle said as Aberdeen handed him his burrito bowl. His hand was covering the receiver. 

Aberdeen nodded frantically. She stopped putting all the burrito bowls on the table where people had been sitting, but for some reason grabbed Brendan’s before she began running around the halls, popping into rooms to search for him. He was nowhere. She tried texting and calling. Nothing. She thought about screaming his name down the hall. Her mind was getting the best of her. Why did Kyle need him? Who was he on the phone with? 

_Were they about to make a trade for Tyson?_

She _needed_ to find him. She _needed_ to tell him.

After circling the halls twice, she finally saw him walking, his winter jacket on, phone to his ear before ending the call and walking towards the board room. “Brendan, Brendan, wait. I need to talk to you,” she scurried to his side. “Tyson Barrie wants to be moved. He told—I overheard a conversation between him and his girlfriend in the car once when they were driving me home after a flight about how deeply unhappy he was here and how he sort of knew he was going to get traded or at least _wanted_ to get traded somewhere so he wouldn’t have to be here and have the pressure on him and maybe be happy again and I promised him I wouldn’t say anything to you but now I am because I thought that maybe if I told you, that you could fix it—”

“Do I smell chicken?” Brendan asked suddenly, taking off his jacket. 

Aberdeen stopped. Her brain felt like it just short-circuited. “What? No. I—I specifically told them the beef bowl for you—”

“If I have chicken in mine, I will be _very_ disappointed,” he said, taking his burrito bowl from her hands and giving her his jacket instead before disappearing into the conference room, leaving Aberdeen standing there in shock. 

***

The New York Rangers traded Brady Skjei for a first round pick. The Edmonton Oilers acquired Tyler Ennis, who Aberdeen knew was one of Bee McTavish’s best friends. Patrick Marleau went to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But the Leafs stayed quiet. Calle Rosen came back. That’s it. Tyson wasn’t moved. He was staying a Toronto Maple Leaf. Aberdeen wondered what he was feeling right now. She wondered if he and Emma already had their bags packed for nothing. As everybody went home, Aberdeen cleaned up the boardroom. When it was time to go to the airport, she went to her desk to grab her suitcase. Brendan was waiting outside his office. 

The walk to the town car was quiet. The loading of their suitcases into the trunk was quiet. The getting into the back of the car together was quiet. The sitting there as Lou drove through the downtown streets and onto the highway to get to the airport was quiet. 

“You thought I didn’t know…” Brendan began, his voice low as he stared out the window. When she heard his voice, Aberdeen turned her head slowly towards him. “I’ve known what was happening for quite some time. It just took me a while to find out what to do with Tyson. A few teams were interested, and were probably willing, come July, to make him absurdly overpaid that he would have jumped at it. But I had to tell everyone he was unavailable.”

Aberdeen felt a shiver run up her spine. _Unavailable_? If Brendan knew Tyson wanted to be moved – if he knew how unhappy he was – then why wouldn’t he move him? 

“The truth is, there is no-one available in the league right now that can fill his place on our team, regardless of how unhappy he is,” Brendan continued. “Any of the other players would have found this job impossible and the team would have suffered. Especially because of the way the media is here. The list of writers, journalists, media personalities, analysts…they eat the players alive. It takes a very special type of player to want to play in Toronto. That’s why it was, and is still, such a big deal that John came home. Hockey is a business, Aberdeen. I’ve known for a while he was unhappy. But I couldn’t trade him. I couldn’t reconsider.”

Aberdeen took a deep breath. And there it was. Tyson Barrie was more valuable deeply unhappy here than he was happy somewhere else. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Hockey was a business, just like Brendan said. Despite her best intentions, good people had to make tough decisions – Brendan’s was to keep Tyson on the team. Brendan wanted to win more than anything, and he still thought he could do that with Tyson.

“But I was very, very impressed, by how intently you tried to warn me,” Brendan continued, finally looking at her. Aberdeen found it hard to meet his eye, not showing any emotion on her face. “I never thought I would say this, Aberdeen, but I really…I see a great deal of myself in you. You can see beyond what people want and what they need…and you can choose for yourself.”

Aberdeen shook her head slightly. “I don’t think I’m like that. I – I could do what you just did to Tyson. I couldn’t do something like that.”

“Hmph…but you already did,” Brendan said. “To Peter.”

Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out dramatically. “That’s not what I – _no_ , that was different. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Oh no no no, you chose,” Brendan said sternly. “You chose to get ahead. You want to be successful in this life, those choices are necessary.”

Aberdeen felt like she was about to cry. She could feel her cheeks redden. “But what if this isn’t what I want? I mean, what if I don’t want to live the way you live or be in a career the way you conduct your career? Not caring about people’s happiness and only caring about success.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Aberdeen. _Everybody_ wants this. Everybody wants to be successful. Even writers.”

Aberdeen hadn’t even noticed Lou had stopped the car because they’d arrive at the airport. She could only watch as the door unlocked and Brendan slipped on his sunglasses for the bright winter sun, getting out of the car and walking back to the trunk to get his suitcase. Aberdeen took a minute to process everything. What Brendan had just said. What he revealed to her. 

Dumb. She was so dumb. And she still had so much to learn. 

Aberdeen was quiet as she walked into the airport with Brendan. She was quiet as they checked in, quiet as they walked to their private hangar, quiet as she saw some of the boys and quiet as she plopped down into a seat, stuffing her headphones into her ears. She knew she should be thankful to be spending her 22nd birthday in Florida, but now, all she could think about was the conversation she’d just had with Brendan. Even William arriving almost didn’t even register with her.

She napped on the plane, not wanting to deal with hockey for at least an hour of her day. 

***

The hotel was taking too long to get the key cards and reservations sorted for everyone. Aberdeen tried not to huff and puff, but she was tired. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to out for dinner. After the stress of the last two days, and especially today, she just wanted to get under the covers of her bed and sleep. Sleep would make her happy again. More than anything, she wanted to be in a good mood for her birthday tomorrow, even if she was working.

“Ab-er-deeeeeeeen Blooooooooom,” the way-too-perky helper called out her name. Aberdeen approached her and got her room key, mumbling a thank you. She was on the 5th floor. 

Auston had followed behind her, grabbing his as well. When they rejoined the loosely assembled group, he took a look at her. “You look really tired, Aberdeen,” he commented.

She glared at him. She couldn’t believe the audacity of him. She’d just been up for almost two days straight because of the stupid trade deadline. Lucky for him that he didn’t have to work the last two days. And lucky for him that he didn’t have to worry about being traded like most of the other guys on the team. He could at least sleep at night knowing he wasn’t going to be traded for the next five years. “You can just say I look like shit, you know,” she deadpanned. 

Auston’s eyes bulged out. “No no no—I didn’t mean—”

“Whatever, Auston,” she grumbled, shaking her head. “I know I look like shit, alright? I don’t need _you_ to tell me.”

“Aberdeen, I didn’t mean it like that at all—”

“It’s _fine_ ,” she shook her head again, grabbing her suitcase and dragging it behind her as she stomped away from him. She didn’t have time for his excuses or for him trying to cover up his tracks. She practically punched the elevator button so she could go up to her room before everybody else. Screw waiting for everyone. 

She was barely able to unpack her toiletries into her washroom before the first text came through on her phone. Of course, it was William.

_saw u stomping away_

_what happened?_

She wasn’t exactly going to tell him what Auston said because God knows what he would do.

_I’m just tired Willy. I’ve practically been up for 48 hours._

_but u need to eat_

_I’ll order room service, but I’m not going out for dinner._

She left it at that. She heard her phone buzz a few times afterwards but she made a conscious decision not to answer it. She needed to be alone with her thoughts instead. She didn’t need to be around Auston telling her she looked tired. She didn’t need to be around Willy who would be staring at her all night. She didn’t need to be around Mitch and his hyperactive puppy personality. She didn’t need to be around Tyson who was probably sulking at the fact that he wasn’t trad—

A knock.

She took her sweet time going to open it. When she did, she was greeted with Jason Spezza and Jake Muzzin on the other side. She almost wanted to shut the door in their face but knew that would be the rudest thing she’d ever done. “We’re going for tacos. You in?”

“No.”

It was actually Jake who looked more taken aback by her statement than Jason. She figured it was because Jason knew better. “No to tacos? I think that’s the first time in my life I’ve ever heard anyone say no to tacos.”

Aberdeen cracked a half smile. “Have fun guys, but I’m exhausted. I’ve been up for like two days because of the deadline.”

“That’s all the more reason for you to get a healthy meal in,” Jake pressed. 

Before she could politely decline _again_ , she saw two figures out of the corner of her eye walking down the hallway towards them. One was William – she could figure him out from miles away just by how his hair looked – but once the other came into focus, a lump formed in her throat. Tyson was with him. 

“We goin’ for tacos or what?” Tyson asked. There was a smile on his face. A fake one for sure, Aberdeen thought, all things considering.

And then it happened. She felt the blood and emotion rush to her cheeks, and she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and responsibility for the man that was standing in front of her right now. She’d tried to help him and her attempt failed. And in that attempt to help, she betrayed him. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. “Please, just go,” she shook her head. 

“What? What’s going on?” Jake looked in between Tyson and Aberdeen.  
  


“Will you guys just leave me alone?” she pleaded, her voice strained as she felt tears well in her eyes. “ _Please_. I’m so tired and I’m so—”

“Inside your room, _now_ ,” Jason pointed to her bed, not even waiting for her to make the first move, and instead just walking in himself. Everybody followed – everybody except William – who took his spot leaning on the doorway so he wasn’t actually in her room. But he was watching. And every muscle in his body wanted to walk in with everyone.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked softly. “What’s the real issue here?”

Aberdeen shook her head. She still couldn’t look Tyson in the eye, but when she could, she almost broke down. It took every ounce of strength in her not to burst out crying and maintain _some_ type of composure. “I’m so sorry. I tried, I really tried—” she began.

“Tried what?” Tyson asked.

She hesitated. “Listen, I know – I’ll understand if you hate me forever because of this – I know you told me not to tell Brendan what I heard Emma say in the car, but I couldn’t help it,” she began. Tyson’s face visibly softened. “I thought that maybe if I told him he’d actually deal you out, and you could be—you could be happy again, you know, or at least somewhere where—”

“Aberdeen—”

“—but he couldn’t, and he _didn’t_ , and I just feel _horrible_ for betraying you by telling him and I feel so _responsible_ now for everything that happened and I can’t live with myself—”

“—Aberdeen, are you apologizing right now because I wasn’t traded?” Tyson asked. Aberdeen didn’t respond. “Aberdeen, come on. You’re not the general manager or the president.”

“But I could have _helped_ —”

“No, you couldn’t have,” he shook his head. Though his words were short there was a softness and a sentimentality in his voice, even a hint of surprise that she’d even go so far as to feel responsible for not being able to deal him to another team. He understood what she was getting at, understood why she was mad and was feeling this way, but ultimately, he was shocked that she was getting so emotional over it. “You’re not responsible for that sort of stuff, Aberdeen. I know you were trying to help, and I thank you for that, but the responsibility of what happens on trade deadline day falls on absolutely nobody in this room, not _least_ the personal assistant to the president.”

She sniffled slightly. “I just thought that if I told him he’d be more inclined—”

“It doesn’t work that way,” he shook his head, looking her in the eye. “But thanks. I appreciate what you did in its own way. Just remember that it’s not your job to write the narrative.”

He was telling that to an aspiring writer. Go figure. But Aberdeen took in the words, really took them to heart, as she nodded her head quickly. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. And I don’t hate you,” Tyson said. “I see where you’re coming from. Just maybe don’t try to do it again.”

She let out the slightest of chuckles. “Yeah, I think that’s best.”

“ _William_? What are you doing in Aberdeen’s room?”

Everybody whipped their heads towards the doorway to see Brendan Shanahan peeking in. Aberdeen thanked the fucking Lord (and would probably pray the entire rosary tonight) over the fact that she was able to control her emotions and not cry during the interaction, and also that two of the men currently in her room were married with children and the other had a serious girlfriend or else it would all look _very_ suspicious. Brendan took a few steps in and saw Jason, Jake, and Tyson. He didn’t look suspicious, but he didn’t exactly look happy. He had a neutral look Aberdeen couldn’t make out. “I’m not sure if I like four of you in Aberdeen’s room like this,” he said. 

“That’s my fault,” Jake piped up immediately. “I was forcing her to come out to eat with us. I was making sure she had at least _something_ to eat since she kept saying no. Tys and Spezz followed to make sure, too.”

Brendan’s look became much more neutral at Jake’s words. “Hmm…I get it. Healthy meals and all. But she can order room service if she doesn’t want to go out. She’s been up for the past two days almost.”

Jake smiled. “Her words exactly. We were literally just on our way out.”

“Have fun boys,” he said, dismissing them. “And I’ll see you tomorrow, Aberdeen.”

She nodded. Everybody filed out of her room, each one of the giving her one last look before leaving. William was last, of course, letting his look linger for longer than the rest before letting the door close behind him. She let out a deep breath.

_love how that was the closest we’ve ever been to getting caught and i wasn’t even in ur room_

The text came from William not even two minutes after he left. Leave it to him to make light of it, she thought. But it was the following text that got her thinking.

_can u tell how the boys wouldn’t say a word now?_


	24. Chapter 23

**February 25 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was officially 22 years old. 

Despite all the events of yesterday, she was happy. She had a few texts from friends and some Instagram notifications already waiting for her when she woke up, and they put her in a good mood. Her parents called her as she was putting on her makeup, and talked to her until she left to get breakfast downstairs. She already knew she would FaceTime Siena after practice when they got back to the hotel.

When she got downstairs to the continental breakfast, some of the guys were already there, and she knew everyone else was on their way. Jake was already there, wishing her a happy birthday at the scrambled eggs. Mitch was there too, who poured her some orange juice as he wished her a happy birthday as well. Jason said she should be sitting down at the table while everyone else got her the food she wanted. She giggled.

Willy and Kappy arrived together. Kappy wished her a quick happy birthday before he started to get his food. Willy lingered by her. “You talk to your parents yet?”

“They called me this morning, yeah.”

“Siena?”

“We’re FaceTiming after practice.”

William nodded his head understandingly. “Happy birthday,” he smiled softly.

She smiled equally as softly. “Thanks.”

“You gonna be blasting that Taylor Swift song or what?” Travis Dermott asked he appeared beside them, plate piled high with scrambled eggs and bacon. “ _I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling twenty-twoooOooOOOooo_!” he sang aloud in a horrible high-pitched voice, definitely trying to mimic Taylor Swift but of course failing miserably.

William set down his plate and put his hands over his hears dramatically. Travis began dancing while trying not to have the bacon spill over his plate. Aberdeen couldn’t help but laugh. “Were you doing that when _you_ turned 22?” she asked.

“You bet! That song was on a 24 hour _loop_ ,” he smiled.

“Poor Kat.”

“She lived. So what’s your birthday wish?”

“For you guys to win tonight,” she winked.

“We can make that happen,” he winked back. “Can’t we, Willy?”

“My ear drums burst after your awful singing. What did you say?”

“I said WE CAN WIN TONIGHT, CAN’T WE?” he yelled so loud other patrons in the eating area looked towards them. 

Aberdeen shielded her face and William turned completely around so they couldn’t see his face. “You’re the worst, pal,” William said to Travis. “And by the way,” he shifted focus to Aberdeen, “we’re _definitely_ winning the game tonight. For you and only you. Bust also so that we don’t have to hear any more of _that_.”

***

“Did the boys promise you they’d win for your birthday?” Brendan asked Aberdeen as they walked together through the halls to their box for the game. 

“They did,” she nodded. “This morning at breakfast.”

“Think they’ll be able to do it?” he asked. They both flashed their credentials to the security guard who let them through easily. Aberdeen could even see Kyle down at the other end of the hallway waiting. 

She shrugged her shoulders. “I hope so. It would be kind of nice.”

“No hoping,” Brendan shook his head. “Do you have faith they can win the game tonight for your birthday?” he asked again, his voice sterner.

“Yes,” she answered automatically, nodding her head. She _did_ have faith in them. She had faith that William would probably show off tonight like he showed off when Siena was in the building in Ottawa, but she wasn’t exactly going to vocalize that out loud. “Do you?”

He took a moment to think about it as he looked at her. It wasn’t an automatic reaction like hers was. “Yes,” he finally said. “Because I know how much they adore you.”

***

“Look at him fuckin’ go,” Kyle said with a giant smirk on his face as he watched the replay of William’s goal. It was beautiful. The Leafs were on a powerplay and he was sitting pretty right in front of the net. After a feed from Mitch not going _exactly_ where he wanted it go, William ended up sneaking it in between his legs and putting it in the net, top shelf. Bardown. Beautiful.

“He just surpassed his dad in goals not even two weeks ago and now this. Now he’s just showing off,” Brendan giggled, looking at the replay himself. 

Aberdeen watched replay after replay. _“This is absolutely unbelievable by Nylander”_ she heard the announcer say as he broke down the play and the goal. She was so enamoured by the coverage and the breakdown and the smile on his face at the end of it that she almost didn’t notice what Brendan whispered to Kyle.

“Think he’s showing off for _someone_?”

***

Brendan made sure he and Aberdeen took their time walking down to the locker room after the 4-3 win. He made sure to have his cell phone constantly in his hand, waiting for the right text to come through. He made sure that when he did, he hurried down there with her tagging along. 

Aberdeen followed Brendan into the locker room. Brendan nodded at Sheldon. Sheldon nodded at him. 

“Alright boys! Everyone get in here!” Sheldon yelled out to the team. Everyone settled down and came back in the locker room, either standing or sitting in their stalls, their gear half on or half off and their hair still sweaty from the game. Brendan and Aberdeen were in the back, standing just in front of one of the entrances, making sure not to block Jack Campbell’s view. “We came back hard tonight. We showed them what we were made of. We held them off in the third period. We stuck with our game. Willy with that game winning goal that I’m sure is gonna be on every highlight reel this season,” Sheldon smiled, and some of the boys clapped and whooped for him. “It was a good fight. It was a good…hey…hey wait. Where’s Spezza?” he asked, furrowing his brows. “Where’s Spezz?”

Everybody began looking around the room. Even Aberdeen started looking. “Spezz?” Tyson asked really loudly. 

Silence. 

And then…

_“Haaaaaaaaaappy biiiiiiirthday to yoooooouuuuu…”_

Out of the corner of her eye, Aberdeen saw Jason walk into the locker room carrying a giant slab cake, with 22 candles lit up throughout. It started with just his voice, but as the words dragged on, more voices joined. She saw giant smiles on the entire locker room’s faces as they sang along, and she immediately covered her face in embarrassment, getting _way_ too emotional. Even the cameraman that they sometimes brought on road trips to film content for Blueprints was filming her. 

_“Haaaaaaaaaappy biiiiiiirthday to yoooooouuuuu…Haaapppy Biiirthdaaayyy dear Aaaaaaaberdeeeeeeeeeen, haaaaaaaaaappy biiiiiiirthday to yoooooouuuuu!”_

The entire locker room began cheering and clapping loudly. Aberdeen couldn’t believe it. She shook her head at everything that was happening – the cake, the singing, the filming, the shit-eating grins on everyone’s faces, particularly Jason’s and Brendan’s – and blew out her candles in one big blow, causing everyone to cheer even louder than before. She knew she had an embarrassed look on her face – because she truly wasn’t expecting anything like this – but she was so grateful for the gesture. Her eyes were even tearing up, though she didn’t know why. 

“Aberdeen, I think I speak for everyone when I say we wish you a very, very happy birthday in your twenty-second year of life,” Brendan began. “You came into our lives in September, and since then, we’ve grown more and more in love with you, your outfits, the books you bring on the plane…” he motioned with his hands for the guys to pitch in.

“Your no-nonsense attitude!” Jason contributed.

“Your rockstar Halloween costumes!” Travis yelled.

“Your Willy fashion roasting!” Kappy yelled.

Everybody laughed. Brendan laughed too before focusing back on her. “From the streets of good ol’ Etobicoke to 50 Bay Street…you’ll always be part of the Maple Leafs family, Aberdeen. Always.”

Aberdeen’s breath hitched in her throat. She nodded her head. Those were some very kind words from a very powerful man, and she knew just how much they meant. And the fact that he was saying it in front of the team meant so much more. She thought it would be over and done with, but Kappy and Travis had other plans. “Speeeeeeeech! Speeeeeeeech!” they chanted. “ _Speeeeeeeeeech!”_ everyone else followed, expecting it like she’d just won an Oscar.

(Maybe she deserved one, since she’d been sneaking around with William and nobody seemed to be the wiser.)

“There’s not a lot I’m gonna be able to say without crying,” she said, still shaking her head. She was still very well aware that the cameraman was still recording. “But seriously, thank you guys so much. This means a lot to me, considering how much of a family we are here. You guys, I…I can’t say enough about you guys. Honestly. But for how much you might love me, I hope you guys know how much I love you all too…”

The guys began clapping when they realized she really _couldn’t_ say anything else because she would have gotten emotional. But it was Brendan who spoke and eliminated the feeling by screaming “ONE MORE TIME! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABERDEEN!”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!” they all rushed towards her screaming, engulfing her in a giant mob as she screamed at the fact that twenty-plus men were about the crowd her like she was a fellow hockey player. The only one who didn’t was Jason so he could save the cake. Thank God.

“The gift!”

“Where’s the gift?!”

“Somebody get the gift!!!”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows. Mitch ran from where Jason had come from, hockey pants and socks still on, and brought out a _giant_ box from the back. He placed in right in front of Aberdeen. “ _What_ did you guys do?”

“We started thinking about it at the beginning of the month—” Kasperi began, but Jason quickly cut him off.

“—Jen and Bee said we should get you something. But I mean we all thought of the idea of _what_ to get you,” he said, throwing a look towards Kappy. “John went out and bought it, but like we all pitched in.”

Aberdeen kept unwrapped until she tore a part of the wrapping paper and saw the Louis Vuitton logo on the box. She gasped out loud. She didn’t care that everybody in the room was watching her at this point. “ _Whaaaaaaat_ did you guys do?!” she shrieked, ripping off the paper even quicker now. When the wrapping paper was off and she opened the box, she gasped dramatically. Everybody had pitched in to buy her a Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulière carry-on bag in the damier azur canvas colour. “Are you for _real_?!” she asked, delicately moving the tissue paper to the side and taking the luggage bag out of the box.

“You like it?” Jason was smiling at her reaction.

“Now we all match with our Louis Vuitton!” Auston winked.

“Yeah, and now you can’t make fun of my fashion anymore!” William yelled.

“Oh yes I can,” Aberdeen replied automatically, not even looking at him – still admiring her new bag too much. “Seriously—I—what made you all decide you were going to get me Louis freaking Vuitton?”

“You roasting Willy’s fashion choices, actually,” Jason laughed out. Brendan laughed too. “Just thought you deserved something nice too, for putting up with us all the time.”

“I’m still making fun of Willy’s fashion choices,” she deadpanned.

“We figured.”

Aberdeen didn’t know who cut the cake. All she knew was that she was handed a piece once she was done groveling over her new bag. She didn’t know when the music started playing. All she knew was someone took her phone and started blasting her Spotify, and a weird variety of songs came on: “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy, which most of the guys vibed to; “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, because _of course_ ; and “(Dancin’) On A Saturday Night” by Barry Blue, which caused Tyson to grab her and start dancing with her comically. The guys were eating cake and taking off their gear. The media was still peeking in though their time and interviews had long gone. She wondered if they got pieces of cake.

When everything was said and done, everybody loaded onto the bus to get back to the hotel. She still had a stupid smile on her face as everyone filed in, carrying the box in her hands like a party-size pizza. She put it onto the seat beside her before taking out her phone to respond to some of the last messages she got from her friends, and saw some notifications that piqued her interest. 

_@kristenshilton: Leafs are celebrating a birthday in the locker room after their Tampa game. Cake and everything. I’m told that it’s chocolate._

_@kristenshilton: ‘Vossi Bop’ by UK rapper Stormzy is playing. Nylander tells me, “It came up on Aberdeen’s phone. It’s her birthday. We promised we’d win the game for her.”_

_Aberdeen Bloom, in question: Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant._

Aberdeen wondered if this was the first time her name had been put out there by the media. She honestly had never searched her name on Twitter before so she had no clue. Now that it was out in the open, what would happen? What would Brendan say? Would he want it out there? She didn’t have the answers. The only thing she knew was that it didn’t matter right now, because it was her 22nd birthday. She could deal with it later – if she even needed to deal with it.

She went through her unanswered texts and Instagram messages thanking everybody for their birthday wishes. Just as she was about the locker her phone again, she opened her email inbox, noticing a few spam emails from sites she’d signed up for. 

But one in particular caught her eye. She opened it immediately. 

_Dear Ms. Bloom,_

_Thank you for your submission to the “Memoirs” section of Toronto Life. We have read your essay “Maple Leaf For…Now” but regret to inform you that our team of editors has decided not to publish the essay. We thank you for your time and submission._

_Best regards,_

_Sandy Miller, Senior Editor at Toronto Life Magazine_

She immediately closed the email. She didn’t need to read it twice. She didn’t need to dwell on the feeling of being rejected. Again. 

It was a quick drive back to the hotel. She followed everybody up to their respective floors and rooms, getting some final happy birthdays before she opened her own door and escaped into her own room. She put the giant box next to her luggage – she’d wonder how she was going to handle the packing tomorrow. She took her phone out of her pocket, seeing a text from William already. 

_i’ll let u know when i’m coming_

_maybe 20-30 mins? the guys are pretty hyped and i want to make sure they’re in bed_

_Ok. No problem._

_brendan was right tonight u know_

_we all fell in love with u from the beginning_

_i hope u know that_



She waited patiently yet impatiently. During the time she was waiting for him, she’d washed off all her makeup, took a quick shower, and even changed into her pajamas. She debated whether or not she should greet him with a sheetmask on, but then she figured that it was her birthday and he’d probably want to kiss her all night, so she decided against it, even as a joke. There was no way she’d waste a sheet mask. 

She was sitting on her bed scrolling through her phone when she got the text from Willy. She prepared herself, and when she heard the slight knock on her door, she practically jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She opened it quickly. “Hey,” she smiled, closing the door behind him, even locking it for good measure.

“Hey.”

“What a goal tonight, Will!” she giggled as he got closer, wrapping his arms around her. 

“For you,” was all he said. He apparently didn’t want to talk hockey – regardless of how pretty his goal was – or waste any more time. He just began kissing her. Big, open-mouthed, passionate kisses as he walked them towards her bed, falling on top of it when it reached the back of Aberdeen’s knees. Like many times before, they were making out like teenagers; they couldn’t help it. William found her insatiable, and Aberdeen found him just as much, if not more insatiable. She snaked her hands underneath his hoodie and took it off, leaving him shirtless. He did the same to her, leaving her topless in her bed. 

“Aberdeen?” he mumbled against the skin between her breasts after what felt like hours of kissing, touching, and grinding against each other’s bodies. 

“Yeah?” she managed to get out, though she could feel how hot her body was.

“Can I taste you?”

“ _Huh_?” she blurted out in the most vulgar way that was humanly possible, completely embarrassing herself. She was sure William was going walk out the door right now and never turn back.

William snorted. “Can I _taste_ you?” he asked again, slower, with a dumb smile on his face as he looked up at her. 

“I…I…” her chest began to heave slightly. “I mean…okay. But um…I’ve never…” she kept trying to find the right words, but when she thought about what she _actually_ needed to say, it just made her more embarrassed and more prone to stutter out her response. “I mean, I’ve never had…you know, anyone go down on me before.”

William stopped, furrowing his brows. “Wait…you’ve…you’ve never—”

“No.”

“You haven’t been eaten out before?”

“ _No_.”

William seemed shocked. “But you…you’ve had boyfriends…?”

“ _Yes_ , Will. _God_.”

“So…” he was trying to piece everything together. “That guy I met, Zane or whatever his name was…he _never_ ate you out in the entire _year_ you dated?” he asked. Aberdeen shook her head. “What kind _assholes_ did you date?” he shrieked.

“Arrrrrggghhhhh,” Aberdeen grumbled, covering her face with her hands in complete embarrassment. “This is so _embarrassing_!”

“Noooo no no no, come on, it’s okay,” William kept repeating and cooing as he pushed himself back up, one hand placing itself on her stomach to caress the skin there and on her sides while he leaned on his other arm. “Aberdeen, come on. It’s okay.”

“Is it though? Is it really?” she was peeking through her fingers like a kid.

“Of course it is,” he assured her. “It means I get to be the first one.” Aberdeen removed her hand from in front of her eyes so she could give him a look. “Was there a reason why it never happened?”

Aberdeen shrugged. “I mean…I’ve always been a bit self-conscious about it. Like about how I’d react or how I’d, like… _taste_ ,” she used his own words. “But Zane said he didn’t like to go down on girls, so I sort of never, like, asked for it. He was like that from the beginning. And I felt embarrassed to ask if I was just gonna get shot down. I mean…I _wanted_ to try it. He just never would.”

“Did you give him blowjobs?”

Aberdeen knew she shouldn’t be getting uncomfortable, because she was with William and she was comfortable with him and trusted him completely, but it was a direct line of questioning she wasn’t used to. Though she talked about her hookups or past boyfriends with Siena or people like Kasha, she didn’t go into _extreme_ depth like that. “Yeah…a whole bunch of them, actually…” she admitted.

She watched as William shook his head, getting angry. “That guy was a fucking asshole, and I’ll look through every stupid fucking cubicle in the city if I have to so I can punch him in the face for you.”

Aberdeen let out a sigh, running her fingers through his hair to push it back. “Does that make me lame? Be honest.”

“No, minskatt. It does not make you _lame_ ,” William asserted. He brought his hand up to caress her face, and trailed his fingers up to her new scar just above her eyebrow. He touched it delicately and she didn’t wince. “Listen…I want to taste you. I want to make you feel good,” he continued softly. “I know you’re nervous. It’s okay. I promise that I’ll go slow, okay? And I’ll stop whenever you tell me to stop.”

Aberdeen was nervous – perhaps more nervous than she’d ever been – but she nodded her head. “Okay,” she said. 

“You’re sure?” William confirmed with her one more time.

“Yeah,” she nodded again. “I’m sure. Just…go slow.”

He’d heard her request those words before. “I will, minskatt. I love you.”

“I love you too, Willy.”

He began kissing her again, trying to get her as comfortable and relaxed as possible – how she was before he proposed the idea. They kissed again for a long time, William making sure he could sense her comfortability before he began to move down, running his lips and tongue down to her chest. His lips left her skin only to take off her pajama pants and underwear, slipping them off slowly at the same time before discarding them to the side. He could feel her shiver. “You alright?” he asked. She nodded her head. “I’m going to make you feel great, I promise.”

“You better.”

They both giggled slightly. “Just tell me when to stop if you want me to stop.”

“Okay.”

He continued to kiss his way down her body, eventually spreading her legs open and settling in between them. He could feel her take a deep breath, so he kissed some more – along her belly button, her hips, on the insides of her thighs. When he did that, there was another shiver. “Minskatt?”

“What?” she asked, like she was having trouble even getting the word out.

“Hold my hand.”

Aberdeen looked down. Seeing his face in between her thighs was _quite_ the sight to behold. She grabbed onto one of his hands and intertwined their fingers. She could feel his thumb rubbing her hand assuredly. She didn’t think the first flick of the tongue to taste her was coming so soon. But as she felt his tongue along her folds, she flinched slightly out of surprise more than anything, squeezing his hand. “Oh _fuck_ ,” she sighed out, her hips bucking. 

With his free arm, he pushed gently back on to the bed. “Was that okay?” he asked, his mouth still dangerously close to her lips so that when she spoke, she still felt them move against her. She nodded quickly. “Do you want me to stop?”

“ _No_ ,” she said firmly, her response automatic. “K—Keep going. It felt good.”

Aberdeen looked down, only to make eye contact with him before he dived in again. Her eyes rolled to the back as William continued lapping at her, making her feel better and better with each stroke of his tongue. Soon, there were no nerves anymore – no worries about how she tasted or how she’d never done this before – and her body was doing the talking, squirming and writhing and sighing, her little _oh fuck_ and _oh my god_ comments the fuel William wanted, needed, to keep doing what he was doing. He did everything – quick flicks of the tongue, long laps from bottom-to-top, top-to-bottom, and sucking and licking like he was drinking a thick milkshake, making sure Aberdeen got the full experience. 

Her moans were his music. At one point she had let go of his hand so she could bunch the bedsheets in her fists. He could hear her huffs and sighs. “S’at feel good?” he asked quickly.

“ _God_ , yes,” Aberdeen whispered, her voice so soft and so full of innocence at the new feeling of it all that William almost came himself right then and there.

“You taste so sweet for me, Aberdeen. You’re so sweet and it’s all for me,” he said, his voice low and full of lust and Aberdeen almost came right then and there.

“ _Fuuuuuuuuuuck_ , Willy,” she couldn’t say much more. When he lapped at her with his flat tongue immediately after, she instinctively went to grab and tug on his hair. He’d made it a personal goal that he would make her come with just his tongue, and his groan in response and the vibration from it made her whimper. “Willy—I—Willy—”

He did it again, and she cried out. With his face so firmly planted on her pussy and with her tugging at his hair and making sure he _stayed_ down there, the feeling was almost _too_ much, but she knew she wanted him to keep going. She knew she wanted the build-up. She knew she wanted it to last as long as it could – as long as was physically possible for Willy – because this was, perhaps, the best feeling she’d ever felt.

The fact she was getting louder made Willy know she was enjoying it. She’d moved on from squirms to moans, and now from moans to audible cries, words frantic and scarcely used but enough so that he knew he was doing a good job and she wanted him to keep going. He kept up his movements so he could keep hearing her, the tugging of his hair bringing him the same kind of pleasure as he was currently giving her. 

Then Aberdeen went a bit quiet. William didn’t like that. He looked up at her as he was still licking and noticed she was staring up at the ceiling. He squeezed her hand to get her attention. “You okay?”

She looked down and saw how wet his lips were – how her juices were all over his mouth, really, and she could have fucking cried. It was one of the hottest things she’d ever seen. “I feel really close,” she whispered, her voice strained. She’d been moaning and crying out for so long that he was surprised she even had one left. “I—fuck Willy—I feel so close.”

William wanted to make sure any part of her that was still holding back – if there was any left – didn’t hold back at all. He made sure he was making eye contact with her. “Come all over my face Aberdeen. Come for me. _Now_.”

Aberdeen had never been so turned on. He lapped and sucked once more and within seconds she was a screaming, writhing mess. She couldn’t be quiet. It was impossible. As her orgasm overcame her, flooding her entire body with pleasure, she tried to stop her legs from clamping together and squeezing William’s head in between her thighs. He didn’t care. William moved with each squirm, each scream, each buck of the hips, never _once_ taking his mouth off her pussy as she came long and hard and completely, not _once_. She screamed and huffed and moaned until she couldn’t anymore, until her throat was dry. When she felt herself finally coming down from her orgasm – earth-shattering orgasm, really, if we’re being specific – she looked down at saw William already looking at her, smiling, her juices all over his lips and face, and she knew it was a sight that would be permanently etched in her mind. 

When Aberdeen regained basic consciousness, she could feel William kissing the insides of her thighs again as he was chuckling slightly. He kissed his way back up to her, and when his lips landed on hers, she let out her last moan she had in her as she tasted herself on his lips. “You taste incredible,” he said once they finished kissing, looking right into her eyes as he licked his lips.

“I can’t believe _that_ was what I was missing this entire time,” she said. “Zane’s a fucking _asshole_.”

William chuckled louder this time, nuzzling himself into her neck as he placed light butterfly kisses there. “I told you,” he said. “It felt good for you?”

She nodded. “It felt incredible. I’m serious. You’re going to turn me into one of those nymphomaniacs.”

“What did you like the most?”

“All of it,” she said immediately, because it was true. There was absolutely nothing that she didn’t like. As she felt his body rest beside hers, his lips still lingering on the skin of her neck, she could feel his erection. She turned a bit so she could look him in the eye, kissing him quickly. “D’you want me to take care of that?”

“No no,” he shook his head. She didn’t understand, especially since he was rock hard. She couldn’t believe _him_ going down on _her_ made him so aroused. “This is all about you. I’ll take care of it.”

“Willy—”

“It’s okay, minskatt. I’ll take care of it,” he said, giving her a kiss before rolling over and getting off the bed. She watched as he disappeared into the washroom and closed the door behind him. She couldn’t think of anything else to do, laying in the bed completely naked thinking about what had just happened, until she thought to grab her underwear and put them back on. She kept herself topless though, as maybe a little treat to William, as she went back to thinking about the feeling of his tongue on her folds, shivering as she remembered.

William was in there for a while before he came back out, seemingly having taken care of it, and climbed back into bed with her. He placed kisses on her breasts and nipples before moving to her neck and finally her lips, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closed against his body. He was topless, too, but kept his boxers on. “I love you, minskatt,” he whispered.

“I love you too Willy,” she said, his body heat and warmth she felt lulling her to sleep so quickly. “Thank you for being my first for that.”

He smiled. “The pleasure was all mine. Go to sleep, minskatt. Go to sleep.”

***

The next morning, William was still in bed with Aberdeen. They’d hardly moved, limbs still intertwined and still holding on to each other like the other would float away. Aberdeen woke up first, her eyes gently opening, noticing and appreciating how close she was to Will. Instinctively – really, she couldn’t help herself – she brought a hand up to his face, barely touching it with her fingertips. The stubble along his jawline and cheeks. The curve of his perfect nose. His soft, sweet lips. He was truly so beautiful. She couldn’t believe he was hers. She couldn’t believe she was his. It was a magical thing to wake up in William Nylander’s arms, knowing that he loved her, and knowing that she loved him. 

He shifted slightly, letting her know he was awake – or at least waking up. “Minskatt?” he mumbled, barely audible, before he even opened his eyes.

“I’m right here,” she said in an equally soft voice. 

He opened his eyes. He smiled sleepily once he saw how close they were and sighed contently. “I dreamt we were in Sweden,” he whispered.

Aberdeen felt a shiver run up her spine. “Yeah?”

He nodded. “My family was there. My sisters loved you. Alex too. You were sitting by the lake at our house in the country,” he said. “Your hair was down and you were looking over your shoulder back at me. It was perfect.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. His voice was so soft and his emotion so innocent. “Tell me more.”

“You had on a pretty dress. The sky was blue. So was the water. We could do what we wanted and nobody cared. We could be open with our love and it was so beautiful.”

She felt a small pang of guilt at that. At this point, she knew how bad they _both_ wanted to be out in the open, but life dictated that they couldn’t. She couldn’t just up and quit her job and lose her income. They needed to ride out the wave. It would happen eventually; it just couldn’t happen now. “I’m sorry that we can’t,” she whispered, caressing his face again. 

“Don’t apologize, minskatt. We will one day. You’re still the best thing in my life and always will be. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

It was that statement that got Aberdeen emotional. Here he was dreaming about her in Sweden with him and his family, freely showing their love, but the reality was that couldn’t happen. Yet he said he would wait forever. She wasn’t sure about that. No guy had waited for her before. “But you’ve been waiting already for so long,” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. “Why are you waiting for so long? Any other guy would have given up and moved on already. Why haven’t _you_?”

“Shhh, Aberdeen, _stop_ ,” he said, squeezing her tighter. “Don’t you get—Aberdeen, _you’re it for me_. I don’t care that I’m waiting to be out in the open with you. I will wait however long you want me to, alright? You’ll always have me. No matter what happens. You’ll always have me.”

Aberdeen nodded. There was nothing she could say to that. Her heart felt so full at his words. He’d wait. He’d wait as long as he needed to. He loved her. He adored her. She was it for him. “I love you, Willy.”

“I love you too Aberdeen. So much,” he kissed the tip of her nose.

Aberdeen kissed him on his lips, needing to feel them against hers. Like always, they couldn’t stop. “Make love to me Willy…before you have to go.”

He did. It was slow and it was sensual and it was tender and it was everything she could have wanted, _needed_ that morning in bed with him. And afterwards, when he had to put his clothes on and sneak out back to his room, he sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her. “Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker,” he whispered against her lips.

Aberdeen smiled. She didn’t know Swedish but she knew those words. They were theirs. Theirs and only theirs. Which is why she repeated them back to him. “I think about you when I’m not even thinking.”


	25. Chapter 24

**February 29 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was laying in her bed looking at her phone. 

A special Blueprint had been uploaded to the Leafs’ official YouTube page and their official website titled “Family Birthdays”. Filmed perfectly. Cut perfectly. Produced perfectly. It was only two minutes long and featured all the guys. But the main feature was her. 

The video began as Sheldon’s speech did, except the camera wasn’t on him – it was on Brendan and Aberdeen watching him intently. When he called out Jason’s name and Jason walked in with the cake, Aberdeen watched her own face drop and change and contort. The camera cut to some of the guys singing – Willy and Tyson and Auston, then Zach, then Travis – and then back to her once they began cheering. Brendan started his speech. The camera cut to some more players. Then it showed her speech. The last thirty seconds of the video featured snippets of afterwards – the music playing and the guys dancing, most of them with cake in their hands; Auston shoving a giant piece of it into his mouth; Tyson grabbing Aberdeen and dancing with her to the more upbeat song like they were in the 1950s and at a party. The closing clip was one of Aberdeen smiling from ear to ear, then one of Brendan smiling from ear to ear too as he stared directly at her. The Blueprint logo came up on the screen. It was over.

Aberdeen had never appeared prominently in a video from the Leafs before. She was in the background of some of the Blueprints, usually always with Brendan and once with Kyle and Peter, but she was mostly anonymous. Now, with this video, she was known: she was named, shown, shown _dancing_ , and it was clearly evident she’d been with the organization for a while and that the team loved her. To anybody watching, she seemed ingrained within the institution that was the Toronto Maple Leafs. The fans seemed to love it – the team had won the game, after all, and had a successful Florida road trip because they also won against Florida on Thursday 5-3. The fans thought it was cute. She thought it was cute, too, but wondered now if people, especially people throughout the NHL, would actually recognize her instead of just walking by and ignoring her unless she stood beside Brendan.

Regardless, she went about her morning routine – washing her face, brushing her teeth, doing her hair, putting her moisturizer on. She fed Minerva and applied her makeup. It was a Hockey Night in Canada tonight against the Vancouver Canucks, but Brendan was letting her leave after the first period for her birthday party. A bunch of friends were coming over for pre-drink before they left for Toybox, the nightclub where she’d be having the party ( _everyone_ she knew and loved would be there except for Siena, who couldn’t come because of school). There would be at least twenty of them. They’d all pitched in to get a table and bottle service. It would all be very fun, and considering Aberdeen’s clubbing days would probably come to an end soon (serious job, serious boyfriend, serious ambition to be a writer), she _wanted_ it to be very fun. 

Lou was taking Brendan to a dentist appointment that morning, so Aberdeen was planning to just walk to work herself. She could get in a little later than usual – around 9:45 or 10 – since Brendan wasn’t going to be in either. So she took her time. She made herself breakfast. She turned on the news. She cuddled with Minerva. She admired the birthday gift that arrived from Willy last night when she got home from work – he had somehow managed to track down and buy a first edition copy ( _literally_ a la 1895) of _The Importance of Being Earnest_ by Oscar Wilde, her favourite play. He did good. He did damn good. Between the ring at Christmas and this, Aberdeen couldn’t believe he did _that_ good. 

She took out her phone.

_Hope you have a good practice this morning_ ❤️

_thank u minskatt_

_Are you still in bed lol_

_love u_

_and yes lol_

_love you too_

_don’t judge me_

After a while, with time going faster than she liked, Aberdeen put on her coat, hat, scarf, and boots and made her way downstairs. When she opened the doors of her building, she noticed a guy in a grey Canada Goose jacket and a tan messenger bag smoking almost right outside the door. She’d never seen him before. It was entirely plausible that he lived in the building, but he wouldn’t have come down to have a smoke. She figured he was probably waiting for someone, and went on her merry way.

As she walked down the street, she texted on her phone and made sure to avoid any ice on the sidewalk. The cold air gave way for a quiet morning – there weren’t a lot of people out walking. It was also because it was later than usual morning “rush hour”. From behind her, she heard someone cough extremely loudly – one of those loud smoker’s coughs that could be heard from a mile away. She looked behind her.

It was the guy from outside her building. 

She felt a shiver run up her spine, and it wasn’t from the cold. Okay. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had finished his cigarette and was walking the same way she was to his work. Maybe they had the same route.

Maybe she should take a detour, just in case. 

She turned a corner. It was technically the wrong way – well, not a _wrong_ way, but it was less direct and a route that made her commute maybe five minutes longer than usual. She waited about a minute before looking back again. He turned the corner too. She felt the shiver run up her spine again.

She turned another wrong corner onto Wellington Street. Waited a few moments. Looked back. 

There he was. 

She felt her heart beat increase rapidly. She was being followed. _She was being followed_. She was freaking out. She had no idea who this guy was, what he wanted from her, nothing. She had no clue. She increased her pace and looked for a storefront amidst all the bank buildings, and she thanked the Lord when she saw a Starbucks. She climbed the steps and went inside. It was pretty busy, but not busy enough that she’d be lost within the crowd. She waited to see whether the man would just walk by or stop.

He stopped in front and lit another cigarette. 

She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She tried to steady her breathing as much as possible as she took out her phone and called the one number she thought to call. 

“Minskaaaaaatt, what are you—”

“—Willy?” Aberdeen asked frantically into the phone.

William noticed her tone immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Willy I think someone’s following me.”

“ _Following_ you?” his tone was dead serious. 

She arched her neck to look out the window and saw the guy was still there, pretending to type away on his phone. “I—I left my apartment this morning, and I noticed this guy standing outside with a messenger bag smoking and—and I didn’t think much of it, but then I started walking down the street, and he started following me. And so I started to walk down a different route to work just in case but he—he kept following, and now I’m in the Starbucks at York and Wellington and he’s standing outside pretending to be on the phone but he’s waiting for me and—”

“Stay right there. I’m going to come get you.”

As if her heart wasn’t already beating rapidly out of fear, now the pace increased tenfold. She’d called him because he was her boyfriend, because he was the first person she thought to call, but now she realized how much of a grave mistake that was. “No – no – Willy, you _can’t_. Brendan will know and—”

“Stay there and don’t leave.”

“Willy—no, Willy—” she tried, but he had already hung up the phone. She couldn’t think straight. She was freaking out, and not just because she was getting stalked by someone. She should have called Brendan first. Or Jason, or—

Well, she could text them. She pulled up Brendan’s number first. She hoped he’d see it before Willy could do anything. _I’m at York and Wellington Starbucks. I am being followed by someone. Can you please come and pick me up?_ She pulled up Jason’s number, too. _I’m at York and Wellington Starbucks. I am being followed from my apartment. Please get someone to help me._

As she waited, nobody texted her back. She started to become nervous. She even sent a few more texts to Willy about getting someone to help him and calling Brendan to help deal with it but he wasn’t responding, and it just made her more nervous. Jason – never one to leave her on read, even for the simplest of messages – hadn’t responded. She wondered if he was already driving to practice. Or with Jen. Or with his girls. Or at their school. Or—

The man still wasn’t leaving. 

Aberdeen gulped. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t stay in this Starbucks forever even though it seemed this guy would wait that long. If she left and continued her walk to work, should she acknowledge him? Should she ignore him? Should she call him out for following her? And besides, _how in the everlasting fuck_ did he know where she lived?! She felt a pit forming in her stomach. 

But she went outside anyway. Before she did, she started a video on her phone. As she pushed open the doors from the Starbucks, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he saw her and locked his phone. As she walked by him, he kept it in his hand. She began to walk away, down the steps and onto the sidewalk, and she pretended to adjust her hair in her hat. She saw he’d taken a step forward. Her heart was racing, but she stopped walking. She turned towards him boldly, cradling her phone against her chest so it wouldn’t seem like she was recording him. 

When he noticed that he’d been caught, a smile adorned his face. It was probably nice in everyday life, but considering the circumstances, it was the creepiest thing Aberdeen had ever seen. “Hey,” he greeted her with a friendly, pleasant voice. “You know, I saw you in that Blueprint video where the Leafs bought you that birthday cake – you’re Aberdeen Bloom, aren’t you? Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant?” the man asked.

Aberdeen found it extremely weird that this man knew her last name. “How do you know where I live?” she demanded.

“I just overheard the guys talking about it one night and made an educated guess,” he shrugged his shoulders, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It made Aberdeen’s blood run cold. “You must recognize me from the media scrums. I was wondering if you’d like to answer a few questions for me.”

She _didn’t_ recognize him from the media scrums, although she was sure he was there. Having probably exhausted his good rapport with the players due to his actions (if they were anything like this), the next best thing for him was to terrorize her. “No. I don’t speak to the media. You need to go through—”

Suddenly, a car pulled up to the curb, the tires shrieking against the pavement. Another car followed just as quickly, shrieking against the pavement as it also grinded to a halt. From the second car, William barely waited for it to stop before he got out of the passenger’s seat. Jason followed him from the driver’s seat. “Get in the car,” William said firmly, not even looking at her.

She noticed Brendan get out of the backseat of the first car, and came to the realization that it was the town car – Lou was driving, waving at her to get in. “Aberdeen, get in the car,” he echoed William’s sentiments. “I’ll deal with this.”

She ran towards the town car, opening the door quickly and stuffing herself into the backseat. She stopped the video on her phone as she watched through the window as Brendan approached the man, who had his hands up and was shaking his head like he wasn’t doing anything wrong. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “Are you okay, Miss Bloom?” Lou asked from the front seat. 

“I’m okay,” she said. “Just a bit spooked.”

“Mr. Shanahan freaked out when he got your text. Almost had a heart attack, I think.”

Aberdeen nodded absent-mindedly, still watching through the window as Brendan looked like he was berating the man. William looked exactly like he did the night she got hit by the glass – so angry but unable to formulate words – and she couldn’t tell if the redness on his cheeks was due to the cold or his anger. Jason looked equally as angry, his head moving between Brendan and the man like he was watching Djokovic verses Federer. When Brendan, William, and Jason dispersed back towards the cars, the man who had followed her was calling out towards Brendan in objection. Brendan ignored him, and so did William and Jason. He kept screaming, and Brendan kept ignoring. 

Aberdeen watched through the side mirrors as William and Jason got back in their car. Brendan opened the backseat door and she turned her head to look at him as slipped in. Lou began driving the second the door was closed. “When did you notice him following you?” Brendan asked immediately.

“He was outside my building,” she revealed.

“Outside your _building_?!” he demanded. He pulled out his phone. “I—I’m calling Steve. No media availability for practice. _None_.”

“Brendan—”

“This _motherfucker_ ,” he seethed, ignoring Aberdeen’s voice. “This motherfucker is never getting into our locker room again.”

“Brendan, I don’t _care_ about the locker room,” Aberdeen chastised him. “He knows where I _live_!”

“I already called the police. They’re meeting us at practice,” he revealed. “I already told them we’re drafting up a peace bond. And if that fucker even _thinks_ about contesting it, I’ll be out for blood.”

Aberdeen was trying to make sense of what he was saying, but it wasn’t registering in her head. She’d heard Siena talk about peace bonds before in relation to something she was learning in law school, but Aberdeen couldn’t connect the dots right now. “What—what’s a peace bond?” she asked.

“It’s essentially a restraining order,” he explained. “Some of the players actually have them for some people or fans but we’re not going to get into that right now. All you need to know is that he won’t be able to be anywhere near you, your apartment, work, _nothing_. I’ll push for an entire kilometre away from you. I don’t care if the fucker has to move. He won’t get anywhere near you ever again.”

Aberdeen calmed down considerably as Brendan spoke, though she was still on edge. “We…we can do that?”

“Yes. It’s the— _fuck!_ —it’s the same old story with some of these fucking clowns. Can’t get what they want in the locker room so they go after office stuff and see which one breaks first. It’s never enough – whatever we give them is _never_ enough. All for some inside scoop.”

Aberdeen saw how angry Brendan was about this. It was like the Ethan situation all over again. It was different in that, with Ethan, Brendan was calm but she could see the rage inside of him. Now, she saw the rage both inside and outside. “I just want to make sure I’ll never have to see him again,” Aberdeen said.

“You won’t,” Brendan seethed. “I’ll make sure of it.”

***

Aberdeen didn’t exactly like talking to cops – she didn’t think anyone did – but there were two waiting at practice when she and Brendan got there. They waited for William and Jason to get there, and once they arrived, they all went into a private room to give statements. Aberdeen showed the cops the video she took. It played at least seven different times, and each time, she watched William across the table getting redder and redder. Except this time, he was more vocal. _“Is it possible we can do more than just a peace order? I mean can’t we press charges?”_ _“This guy is an obvious threat to the team’s safety if he’s approaching office staff to try to get exclusives on us.”_ It was all very…clinical. She didn’t know the word to describe it. But Brendan was adamant on the conditions of the peace order, and was adamant that they go even a step further than what some of the guys had because she was a young female. What surprised her the most was when Brendan called up the guy – literally right from his phone – and the cops read out the peace bond. This was still in front of William and Jason. The guy fought back a little bit but Brendan was having none of it and threatened him with court. The guy had no chance but to accept the conditions of the peace order. He agreed to sign it. He agreed to every condition. The cops would take care of him signing it and filing the peace order with the RCMP. 

It was barely noon. 

When the police left, Aberdeen thanked them politely and watched as Willy and Jason did too. She noticed William’s eyes on her as she heard Brendan thank them and offer to walk them out. Then she saw Jason was looking at her too. “Can I talk to you? Alone?” he asked.

“Yeah. Of course.”

She followed him to an empty hallway – one she had walked down hundreds of times while working the practices. Jason made sure nobody else was around before he started speaking. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “Just a bit spooked, as you can imagine.”

“Listen, I know you’ve got your parents’ place but my door is always open too if you or Kasha don’t feel safe in the apartment for the next little bit,” he offered. God, she still needed to tell Kasha. She still needed to call her fucking parents. They were going to have a fit. “You know Jen wouldn’t mind.”

“You’d add _another_ girl to your house?” she tried to joke.

“Don’t joke about this,” he said, his voice so serious Aberdeen almost felt back for cracking the joke. “Do you want to stay at my place? Do you feel safe?”

“No. And yes,” she said. “No I do not want to stay at your place, but thank you for the offer. And yes, I feel safe. I mean, I feel safe right now, knowing that if he breaks that peace bond, he can go to jail. That’s what’s _making_ me feel safe right now.”

“It should. It’s serious business.”

“Do you understand how lucky I am that the cops took it seriously and got it done within hours? Because I guarantee you if it was just me filing the complaint, they wouldn’t have taken it seriously,” she said. “They only took it seriously because of Brendan and him going apoplectic, and you know it.”

“I do know it,” Jason nodded his head. “I’ve known it every day since my old teammate’s girlfriend had to get the exact same thing down in Dallas against a group of crazy girls who wanted to sleep with her boyfriend and threatened to show up at their house and suffocate her in her sleep.”

Okay, so apparently this was pretty commonplace. Well, at least in hers and Jason’s lives. While it wasn’t a crazy fangirl, he at least still understood where she was coming from. “I guess I’m lucky he only wanted an inside scoop, I guess.”

Jason shook his head. “I almost had a fucking heart attack when I saw that message. You don’t even understand. I was walking and I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around and started running to my car. That’s when I saw Will.”

Ah, yes. William. She wondered where he was right now. She’d have to find him after this conversation. “Yeah. I was shaking so much that for some reason, his name was the first to pop up.”

Jason stayed silent, nodding his head. She could tell he was biting his tongue, wanting to say something, deciding whether or not it was worth it. “Listen…I know…I know I shouldn’t even be asking this, but there’s nothing going on between you and Willy, is there?”

Aberdeen held her breath. She had to lie to Siena. She had to lie to Kasha. Now, she had to lie to Jason. It would have been inevitable, but she wished she didn’t have to, mostly because she respected him so much and knew how much he cared about her. “No. I just…we’re close – kinda – and listen – his crush isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s not like I’m doing anything while I’m working here,” she said, stumbling over her words a bit. “I would never jeopardize my job or my career like that.”

“Right. I know. Sorry,” Jason kept nodding, now a bit bashful that he even brought it up. “I just…you let him know, you know—”

“Because we’re close,” she reiterated. “We’re practically the same age. And because he’s the only guy around my age on the team who has even just some of his shit together because of the way he grew up. I mean, I didn’t call Auston or Kappy for a reason.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course,” he actually cracked a smile. “I just—sorry, Aberdeen. I didn’t mean to be—”

“It’s okay, Jason,” she wished he’d just dropped it, because the more he dragged it on, the more she had to lie to him, and the more it killed her. 

There was a moment of silence before Jason spoke again. “Kappy would have probably taken you to an oyster bar,” he quipped.

Aberdeen snorted. She began laughing one of those silent laughs as she shook her head. “You’re probably right.”

***

_FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Earlier today, a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization was followed from their residence to 50 Bay Street. It is of the utmost importance that members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization are allowed privacy in their personal lives and are not stalked, followed, and harassed on their way to employment. Due to the unacceptable actions, we have terminated the media credentials and locker room access of the individual involved in the incident, and they will never be allowed back into our locker room. We encourage those in the media to review the acceptable guidelines policy given at the beginning of each season. Legal action has already been taken against the individual. We will not be answering any further questions._

***

“She _what_?!” Zach Hyman was in disbelief at what William announced to the room.

“Who was it?” John asked.

“Are they pressing charges?” Tyson demanded.

“There’s already a peace bond – it’s like a restraining order,” Jason explained. “He can’t get within, like, a kilometre of her or the arena without her pressing charges and him going to jail.”

The locker room was in disbelief at the news that Aberdeen had been stalked on her way to work that morning. They knew the media could be crazy, they just didn’t know they could be _that_ crazy. To target a young female member of the office was unheard of. Usually _they_ were the ones being stalked, not the office staff. “Is she okay?” Zach asked. 

“She’s doing fine. She’s Aberdeen. For what it’s worth I think she’s keeping it all in, just like last time, but that’s neither here nor there,” Jason said, alluding to the Ethan situation. “It all happened so fast this morning. That’s why nobody had to do media after practice today. Brendan suspended it.”

William watched as Auston shook his head. “That girl’s being put through the fucking ringer, dude. First the Ethan thing, then that scar, now this?”

“I’m surprised she stays with us,” Tyson commented.

“I don’t. She loves us,” Mitch spoke up. “Just like we love her. This is just…a series of unfortunate events. Like that book series.”

“You read books?” Auston quipped.

Mitch punched him in the arm. “So I get why she’d text Jason,” Mitch continued, looking at William. “But why _you_?”

William shrugged. “How would I know? She was probably shaking and her hand slipped while typing. Would you be calm in that situation?”

Jason had heard that before.

***

“You’re not scared?” William asked over the phone, sitting alone inside of his car, still in the parking lot after practice. Everybody had left long ago, but not him.

“A little bit, but I’m not letting it take over my life. I _can’t_ let it take over my life,” Aberdeen replied, her voice calm. She was probably talking to him from the employee washroom back on Bay Street. “If I let the fear take over, I wouldn’t do anything. I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”

“But this isn’t _that_ type of fear. This is someone stalked you on your way to work fear. This is someone hit you with a glass because they hated your boyfriend fear. This is—”

“—that was a freak accident—”

“—This is a different type of fear, minskatt. I can’t stand seeing this happen to you.”

“Willy, I couldn’t stand to hear those guys in the bar chirping you, either,” she said. “You have to trust me when I tell you that it freaked me out and scared me but there’s a peace order now and it’s been dealt with. I’m not going to let it take over my life. Remember what you told me? I’m not what happened to me.”

William took a deep breath to stop himself from getting emotional. His girlfriend was handling this much better than he was – that was very clear. “I just love you so much,” he whispered. Aberdeen could swear she heard his voice crack slightly. “I don’t ever want to see anything bad happen to you. It kills me because I can’t help you right then and there. I can’t even touch you. It’s _hard_. We have to do this instead. This is the hardest part of keeping this all a secret.”

“I know. I know,” she agreed with him. “But you have to trust me. You trust me, right?”

“With my whole heart,” he responded.

“Then you need to trust that I’m okay.”

***

_@reporterchris: The member of the Leafs organization who was followed from their residence was a woman. Shanahan, Dubas, & co. are taking this extremely seriously. Rumours are the team is quite upset too._

_@reporterchris: Organization is not naming names for obvious reasons. But they do tell us the member is doing fine, was not hurt or injured, and continues to perform her full duties with the team. Org is treating this as a one-off scary episode, but did not want to take chances._

_@reporterchris: Team is a bit standoffish tonight, with good reason. Though the culprit is not in the room, players coming out for media availability aren’t as forthcoming as usual._

***

“Oh my god, there is literally no room to breathe in this thing,” Aberdeen said as she sucked in her stomach as Kasha zipped up her jumpsuit. She looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit the jumpsuit looked phenomenal on her. It was skin tight, hugging her body in all the right places and actually made it look like she had some semblance of cleavage, and showed off just the right amount of skin for a February night. Her long hair cascaded down her back, her makeup was immaculate besides the patch near her scar where she couldn’t put any on, and her heels gave her that extra bit of confidence to pull off the look. 

“You’ll be able to get some alcohol in,” Kasha joked as she finished zipping. “Or else bottle service was a bust.”

“Bottle service is never a bust,” Aberdeen said. “I’m just gonna make sure the pre-drink is worth it too.”

Aberdeen had decided against telling Kasha tonight about the stalking earlier in the day. It just wasn’t the right time, because she knew Kasha was incredibly excited for tonight, and because Aberdeen didn’t want to think about it either. Much like the Ethan situation, she didn’t want it to creep up in her mind when she was supposed to be having a good time. She’d tell Kasha tomorrow, when she was hungover. She’d also tell her parents tomorrow, because if she told them tonight, they’d probably show up to the pre-drink and lock her in her room.

As their friends began arriving, the drinks started flowing. People brought their own, and of course Kasha and Aberdeen had some booze in stock, and Kasha made sure to take pictures – “thirst trips, Aberdeen, _thirst traps!!!!!_ ” – before things started to get too hectic and too alcohol-fuelled. Evan came, and Masani came, and Tom, and Christian and Gavin and Zach, and Delilah and Ariana and Sloane, and Jude surprised her by coming in from McMaster, and she was surrounded by so many friends and posing for so many group photos that her mind really _didn’t_ think of what happened earlier, and she was happy, really happy, and wanted to have the best time.

They practically fell out of their Ubers and into the lineup outside Toybox, but Masani spoke with the bouncer and he let them all in and they made their way to their reserved table. Kasha pulled her out onto the dance floor and Aberdeen began moving her body to the beat of the music. She’d look over her shoulder every now and then, making sure nobody was _him_ , but after the first few times, she came to the realization _he_ wouldn’t be there, and she really let loose. Kasha was telling everyone who would listen that it was Aberdeen’s birthday so they’d buy them drinks. Aberdeen accepted them. Most people asked about her scar. She told them. A few guys flirted with her. She shot them down. Many more stared at her in her jumpsuit, their eyes filling with lust. 

Then one pair caught her eye, because she could recognize those baby blues anywhere. 

He was across the dance floor, staying a safe distance away from her and her party, but he was still keeping a watchful eye. Not possessive, not domineering, not jealous or envious or untrusting – just watching. She wanted him around her; she wanted him behind her so she could grind on him; she wanted him in front of her so she could dance with him; she wanted him close to her so she could wrap her arms around him; but she couldn’t. He was there and she was here, and that’s where they had to stay. 

_Don’t even have to drunk text you tonight when you’re already here_ she texted him, downing the last of her vodka soda. She looked towards him to see him taking out his phone. It was only then that she noticed Rasmus approaching him with a drink, Kappy too already sipping on his own.

_just wanted to make sure everything was ok after what happened today_

_omg is that rasmus_

_isn’t hew like 12 how didf the bouncer let him inm_

_who did youi pay_

_u look so sexy_

_do you know this placve_

_can we sneak away_

_don’t think that’s the best idea_

_why not_

_kasha_

_kappy_

_rasmus_

Oh right. _Kasha_. They needed to keep this a secret from Kasha. And Kappy. And Rasmus. Aberdeen’s drunk brain wasn’t thinking very straight right now. Would Kasha notice if she snuck away for…however long? Would Masani? Would any one of her friends? Were they already too drunk to notice, too drunk to care?

“Who are you texting?” Kasha asked.

“Nobody,” Aberdeen answered absent-mindedly. She typed out her last text message before locking her phone.

_i want your fingers inside of me_

“Let’s go back to the booth,” Kasha whined as she grabbed Aberdeen’s hand. “My feet huuuuurt.”

They made their way through the crowd and up the steps. Aberdeen looked back to see William looking down at his phone, biting him bottom lip. He locked his screen and put it in his pocket with an irritated look on his face. She got him.

The rest of the night was fun. William stayed away, which meant none of her friends interacted with him or Kappy or Rasmus – even Masani didn’t see him, which was good because if she did she most certainly would have bullied him into giving her Alex’s number since she’d been calling him “the best lay of my life thus far” since June. She danced some more with her girlfriends, drank some more, got some more drinks bought for her, got asked about her scar some more, and took more pictures in the booth and on the dance floor. The announcement for last call was the only reason they left, stumbling out of the club at 2am like good twenty-somethings having the time of their lives. Aberdeen drunkenly hugged every one of her friends before they left in their taxis or Ubers, even placing a huge kiss on Jude’s cheek for coming in all the way from McMaster to join them. She, Kasha, and Evan got into a taxi together, with Kasha even taking some last-minute pictures of her posing in the back of the taxi, even though Aberdeen thought she probably looked like a mess. 

When she got her phone back, she opened the front-facing camera and used her arms to push up her boobs, snapping a quick picture of her cleavage and herself biting her lip before quickly sending it off to Willy. Kasha was too busy on her own phone to notice, and Evan was trying to make friends with the driver. Almost immediately, she saw the three dots pop up.

_the next time i see u alone, ur gonna pay for this_



_do you wankt sokme more_

_are u comfortable with that?_

She posed again, doing much of the same, except this time she made it a video. She pressed send.

_fuuuuuuck_

_ur so fucking sexy_

_im sry i do not have boobies_

_*crying face emoji*_

_u have beautiful boobs_

_perfect for my mouth_

Aberdeen smiled. She held her breath.

_i love yourf mouthj on my boobs_

_i love your mouth onb my pussyt_

_i love my mouth on ur pussy too_

_where is rasmus_

_is he in bed_

_FOCUS ABERDEEN_

“ABERDEEEEEEEN!” Evan called out loudly, drunkenly. It was only then that she realized that the taxi had stopped and that Evan and Kasha were already out of the taxi, waiting for her. “Let’s goooo!”

Instead of just opened her door, she crawled across the backseat like a baby giraffe just finding its legs and got out that way. She thanked the driver and told him it was her birthday before she closed the door. Evan made sure they got into the elevator.

_minskatt?_

_in elevator_

_no shawarma this time_

_when i gety backj into my room i willk send more pics_

_*heart eyes emoji*_

_do you like my butt_

_yes i do_

_i like my butt toop_

_do you wankt pics of my butt_

_i want whatever u will give me_

Evan also made sure they got into their apartment just fine. Aberdeen immediately kicked off her heels and escaped to her room, closing the door. The feel of her feet out of her strappy heels and on the laminate floor brought her so much joy. She faced her full-length mirror and took one last picture, posing with her ass out before she sent the picture to William.

_for you_

_and only for you_

_fuck baby_

_can’t believe how hot u look_

_let me take off my jumpsuit_

_i have sexyt underwear onm_

Aberdeen put her phone down and somehow, someway, got the zipper on her back down low enough that she could shimmy out of it. The second the skin tight jumpsuit was off, she felt an even bigger sense of relief and comfort than she did when she took off her heels. Every organ in her body felt like it was settling into their rightful place and not squeezed in by the jumpsuit. It felt nice. It felt so nice that she sat down on her bed. And when she sat down on her bed, the comforter felt so soft against her skin. Then she saw her pillows. She fucking loved her pillows. So she lay her head down on them. Her eyes became heavy. Her breath steadied.

_that’s so hot baby_

_do u wear them at work too_

_Aberdeen?_

_minskatt?_

_hahahahahahaha_

_goodnight minskatt_


	26. Chapter 25

**March 2 nd, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was paying attention to the news at the airport.

_“While the first case of what epidemiologists are referring to as COVID-19 was recorded in Toronto on January 25 th, the novel coronavirus is still baffling some scientists in terms of its symptoms. They range from severe in some, to completely asymptomatic in others. While there are currently less than twenty cases in Toronto thus far, Ontario health officials have recorded three news cases today. One is a man in his 60s who returned on a flight from Egypt, while the other two are women in their 60s and 70s returning on a flight from Egypt. Public health officials are encouraging individuals to wash their hands frequently and exercise caution whenever and wherever possible.”_

“Want some hand sanitizer?” John asked from beside her. He was laid out in the chair beside her while her knees were against her chest.

She nodded, leaving her bag of pretzels in her lap before she extended her hand and he squirted some Purell onto her hand. John always had everything readily available – hand sanitizer, band aids, healthy granola bars, breath mints – she was sure he probably had a spare hair elastic in his backpack too, and a full surgery kit for all she knew. She rubbed the sanitizer in between her hands. “What do you think about all this?” she asked, motioning towards the TV monitor.

John shrugged. “I’m a bit nervous about it,” he admitted. “I know that Aryne is taking some extra precautions with Jace. A lot of her friends from Queen’s ended up going to med school so she’s friends with a lot of doctors and listening to their advice.”

“I guess we should all be.”

“Wouldn’t hurt, right?” John asked rhetorically. “Better safe than sorry. What do _you_ think about it?”

Aberdeen pursed her lips slightly. “I have no clue. Science goes way above my head. But if doctors and epidemiologists are going to tell me to do something – or _not_ do something – so I don’t get sick, I’m going to do it – or _not_ do it – whatever.”

“Atta girl,” John smiled. “Just listen to the experts.”

“That’s why I listen to you about hockey,” she winked.

He laughed out loud. “You butter me up too much. What are you looking for? A granola bar? You already have pretzels.”

“Not everything with me has to do with food.”

“Really?”

She pinched him.

***

**March 5 th, 2020**

It was 24 Celsius in Los Angeles, and Aberdeen was loving it. Though the Leafs had suffered a bit of an embarrassing loss to San Jose the night before, today the team had a day off before they had back to back games against the Kings and Ducks. Some of them were going shopping on Rodeo Drive (Auston, Frederik), and some were visiting old friends since being traded (Kyle, Jack), but most were doing exactly what Aberdeen wanted to do: going to the beach.

They decided on Malibu Beach. It was only a thirty minute drive from the hotel, so Aberdeen put on her bathing suit and packed herself in a car with John, Jason, and Justin Holl. William, Rasmus, Kappy, and Pierre followed in another, with Tyson and Mitch tagging along in the last car too. It may not have been super-hot to Californians, but for sun-starved Canadians, it would do. The sun was out, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and she was going to tan the entire afternoon. She would take advantage of it as much as possible.

As she helped set up the blankets and beach towels, she watched as Mitch and Tyson already stripped down to their bathing suits and ran into the ocean together. Pierre was setting up some Bluetooth speakers and John was passing around the sunscreen. The visual of these men rubbing sunscreen across their abs made Aberdeen’s heart flutter – but then the image of them having to slather sunscreen all over each other’s backs brought her back down to earth. She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

“Aberdeen, sunscreen!” John tossed the bottle towards her. She caught it and stripped down to her tankini before squirting some onto her legs and arms, making sure to cover herself thoroughly. She could tell William was watching but trying not to make it seem like he was. Jason took care of her back. 

The guys did their own thing while Aberdeen read her book and tanned. She could hear them screaming every now and then and watched as they gave each other piggyback rides and splashed water at each other like they were a peewee hockey team on a weekend tournament. Every now and again someone would come back to the blankets and beach towels to relax, but soon enough, they were back in the ocean, being loud and obnoxious but happy, happy boys.

“Whatcha reading?” Tyson asked as he walked towards her, wet from the salt water and sand sticking to his legs. She flashed the book at him – _Milkman_ by Anna Burns – and he squinted his eyes to see it properly in the sunlight. “Is it about milk?” he asked.

She shorted. She remembered back to when she was reading _Women Talking_ by Miriam Toews and William asked _“Do women talk in it?”_ like a smartass. “It’s about a woman in what’s very obviously Belfast coming of age during the Troubles. I thought it might give me some more insight into what my mom grew up in.”

“Is it any good? Was it as good as the one you were reading last week on the plane? Normal Girls or whatever it was?”

Aberdeen giggled. “ _Normal People_ , you mean? No, it’s not as good as that. Fuck, I loved that book.”

“I know. You wouldn’t shut up about it!” he joked, wiping his body off. From behind him, Aberdeen could see John making his way towards them. William was still off in the ocean, throwing a football between him, Pierre, and Mitch. “Think you can teach Mitch how to read?”

Aberdeen smiled. “I can certainly try.”

As if on cue, Mitch’s booming voice was heard. “Hey T-Bear! _Get over here_!” he yelled, putting everything he had into his throw of the football so it reached Tyson, who caught it expertly.

“See ya later, Aberdeen,” he said before running off, throwing the football towards Pierre who had to dive into the water to catch it.

Instead of focusing on the water cascading down Pierre’s abs or the sunlight hitting William’s broad shoulders perfectly, making him look like some Norse god, she focused her attention on John. “You feeling good?” she asked.

“The best,” he nodded, wiping himself off before lying the towel down again and sitting on it, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. “You’ve already gotten some colour,” he commented.

“Thank _God_ ,” she said, looking down at her arms. “The winter has made me so pale. It’s a bummer I didn’t get my dad’s skin tone. My sister and brother got lucky with that.”

“You took after the Scottish side?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded. “I get it,” he said. “Aryne can’t tan either. She burns too easily.”

“Wonder if the Swedes are going to look like tomatoes in a couple of hours,” she said, nodding her head towards them. “Imagine they’re on TV and beet red? I might get fired for not slathering sunscreen on you guys or not telling you to put on some hats.”

John laughed out loud, choosing to lean back on his elbows. “I don’t know about that, Aberdeen. Something tells me you’ll be around for a long time if certain people have anything to say about it – well, until you _want_ to leave, that is.”

Aberdeen’s body stiffened slightly at his words. “Wh…what do you mean?” she asked. 

“Ah, nothing serious, Aberdeen. Don’t worry,” he said, shaking his head. With the silence between them, Aberdeen thought he may have dropped it, but he didn’t. He was just preparing to articulate what he wanted to say. “It’s not just Brendan liking you, you know. We know William has, like, the biggest crush on you, okay? We’re all adults here,” he said to her shock. “It’s cute, but we all know it’s harmless.”

“It _is_ harmless,” she stressed.

“I know, Aberdeen. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t for a second forget that you’re all _Toronto Maple Leafs_ ,” she said. “Every job in this organization is a dream job for someone and you guys forget that some people spend their entire lives, their entire careers, building up their resumes waiting to get hired by this organization. Nobody would ever, _ever_ , under _any_ circumstances, want to do anything to fuck it up, because once you’re done here, there’s nowhere else to go.”

“I _knooooow_ , I know. I’m just ribbing you like we rib him about it,” he smiled. He was so jovial about it all that Aberdeen calmed down a bit. He wasn’t trying to get to the bottom of something like he was when he and Morgan asked her about Ethan – he was just being good-humoured. A human, not a captain of a hockey team. Maybe her overreaction was a bit much but she needed to remain guarded and vigilant about it if ever, and _when_ ever the guys brought it up. “He looks at you googly-eyed all the time even though he knows nothing’s ever gonna happen. I’m pretty sure he’d cry whenever you leave.”

Aberdeen snorted. Cry from joy, probably, because that would mean they could actually touch each other in public. “He told you that? That nothing is ever gonna happen?”

John nodded his head. “Well, nothing’s ever gonna happen as long as you work here,” he clarified. “But don’t tell him I told you. He kind of figures and we all know it’s a lost cause as long as you’re working here.”

Aberdeen nodded, deciding not to say anything as she looked out into the distance. The boys were still throwing the football, and Justin was attempting a yoga pose on the beach. She picked up her book and buried her head in it.

***

Adrian Kempe, a Swedish friend of William’s, recommended a taco restaurant in Malibu for the group to have dinner. It wasn’t a far drive from where they were on the beach, so at around six in the evening, they shook the sand off the towels and packed them back in the cars and headed to Café Habana. Aberdeen was in the car with John, Jason, and Justin again. 

When they arrived at the restaurant, she looked out the backseat window to see Kappy making a beeline towards someone. The girl, Aberdeen soon noticed, was Saylor. She figured Saylor was here for another modelling gig, though Aberdeen did find it somewhat amusing that Saylor always popped up in cities or areas with…well, shall we say _distractions_. She was in New York. Las Vegas. Aberdeen knew she’d been to Florida. Now she was in LA. Saylor didn’t go Columbus or Colorado. 

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,” Saylor squealed as she saw Willy, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him. “Surrrrrpriiiiise!”

“Surprise,” he smirked, but Aberdeen could tell he wasn’t as excited as she was. “Here for some modelling?”

“Who _wouldn’t_ want to come down to LA to model? I just came from a shoot,” she said, now focusing her attention on Aberdeen. “ _Hey_ girl!” she squealed again. 

“Hi Saylor,” she smiled.

“I’m _so_ glad I won’t be the only girl here tonight,” she smirked. “The boys can get _so_ boring sometimes.”

“Aberdeen’s used to it by now,” Jason piped in. “She’s only been travelling with us since September.”

The group moved towards the restaurant and were seated in the back patio at a long table. Aberdeen was squished in between Jason and John, and directly across from her sat Willy, Pierre to his right and Saylor to his left. Saylor and Kasperi didn’t even have to sit down to ask the waiter and waitress attending to them if they had oysters. They didn’t. With one quick look at the menu, and a disproportionately long discussion requiring everybody’s calculators to be out to determine how many orders of tacos were required for everybody to have three tacos each (much to Aberdeen’s entertainment), the group ordered four orders of every taco variation (and there were _five_ of them) on the menu, along with some sides of baby broccoli, sautéed zucchini, and French fries. As a dining group of 11, it should have been more than enough food. She felt bad for the chefs, but knew the food would be amazing. She saw it being brought to a table near them and it looked delectable. 

While Aberdeen maintained professionalism at all times when she was in front of the guys, when the tacos came, that professionalism waned. She made sure to grab the four tacos she was guaranteed and wanted and piled them onto her plate. They looked delicious. Even as she bit into her first one, she moaned audibly at the taste, making the guys around her laugh. Willy eyed her as she did so, taking a bite out of his own.

“So what have you been up to?” Saylor asked Aberdeen as she crunched on a French fry. “Kappy told me it was your birthday?”

“It was! I turned 22.”

“ _Ohmigod_ , I remember my 22nd birthday. We went to the rooftop bar at the Bowery Hotel in New York City,” Saylor said. Aberdeen knew it would be something ultra-luxurious because that was the only way Saylor seemed to roll. “What did you end up doing?”

“Oh, a bunch of friends and I just got a booth and bottle service at a club. Nothing as fancy as that,” Aberdeen answered. 

“How many were you?”

“I’d say about twenty.”

Saylor’s eyes bulged a bit. “When you get older, your friend group gets _soooo_ small,” she said, her tone making it seem like she was the all-knowledgeable big sister bestowing wise knowledge upon Aberdeen. Saylor was only a year older than her. If it was Jen, Aryne, or Bee giving this advice, fine – but not Saylor. “My friend group is _so_ small now. All the drama that goes on between people is just so _tiring_ , you know? Less people, less drama.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to be rude, so she nodded her head. “I can get that. These are all people I’ve known since high school and throughout university, though. We’ve already been friends for a long time.”

“And you’re _still_ friends with them?” Saylor asked.

Aberdeen nodded her head. Before she could say anything else, John piped up. “I think that’s a testament to your character more so than anything, Aberdeen.”

“But it could also speak to, like, the _way_ people are,” Saylor went on. Aberdeen indulged her, looking at her so she would continue. “Like, when I was in high school – my family is from Lake Forest, and I went to Lake Forest Academy – I found out this one friend was talking behind my back and I totally ditched her. But then we ended up at the same college, and it was really weird for a while, but then we ended up becoming friends!”

Aberdeen didn’t know what point she was trying to make. Neither did anybody else listening, judging by the looks on their faces. “That’s good you were able to turn the relationship around,” she commented, not knowing what else to say.

Saylor looked very proud of herself. “Besides that, what else have you been up to? Are you still _just_ , like, Brendan’s assistant?”

Aberdeen bit her tongue to smile curtly. “Just.”

“And a great one at that,” Jason said before stuffing his mouth with a taco.

“I guess that’s enough for you,” Saylor commented.

Aberdeen almost dropped her taco. So did Jason. Willy was looking in between them. She didn’t know how to respond at this point and _not_ sound rude when Saylor’s rudeness was so blatantly obvious. Aberdeen still wasn’t sure whether or not Saylor actually had the capacity to be underhanded. She was starting to err on the side of Saylor knowing _exactly_ what she was saying to people but saying it in such a way and with such a tone that everyone thought she was just dumb and didn’t know better. Aberdeen began to believe Saylor _did_ know better, and her act wasn’t fooling Aberdeen anymore. It made her reconsider what Saylor said to her in New York about her nose. “It’s actually _not_ enough for me, but it’s what’s paying the bills right now and I’m not going to discuss career aspirations at the dinner table in front of people who are technically my colleagues and who don’t want to see me leave anytime soon.”

“But you can’t be in a job you hate just because it pays the bills!” she said like some dreamer. “You need to go out there and be creative! Cultivate! Be artistic! Design! Sometimes the best opportunities come when you just drop everything, quit your job, and start hustling as you do what you love!”

Aberdeen felt her blood begin to boil. She tried to remain calm. “One – I never said I hated my job. I love this job and I love the people I work with,” she clarified. “Two – that’s a bit easy to say for someone with family money who grew up in Lake Forest and went to a private school. I have rent to pay. Bills – groceries, my cell phone, internet, stuff for my cat – I can’t just up and quit my job with a steady income to _hustle_ and _be creative_ when I have a shit ton of responsibilities.”

“I’m sure your parents would help you if it’s your dream and it’s something you _really_ wanted to do.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” Aberdeen deadpanned. “My parents have their own shit to deal with. My mom would kick my ass if I was that stupid. I mean, my parents are immigrants, so that goes without saying. They don’t owe me a dollar, and I would never ask them for it. I would never do that to them.”

“What about your grandparents?”

Aberdeen could feel John, Jason, Pierre, and Willy deflate at the question. It was almost comical. “I think you’re missing the point, Saylor,” Jason said nicely. “Aberdeen is already _hustling_ to get to an end-goal of writing. This job is actually helping her get to that goal.”

“ _Writing_?” Saylor questioned. “I thought for sure you wanted to, like, work in sports or broadcasting or something. Writing, then? That makes sense, I guess. Better for you to stick behind the cameras.”

Aberdeen wondered if everybody else could hear what Saylor was saying too. She felt like she was in the twilight zone or something. It confirmed to her that Saylor knew exactly what she was saying. “Yeah, I guess. Kind of how it’s better for you to be in front of the cameras because you thrive on attention.”

“Yes! Modelling is _all_ about getting attention and hype around your brand,” she smiled sincerely, so happy that the topic was back on her and her modelling. She didn’t get the subtle dig at her… _extracurricular activities_ that took up more of people’s attention than any work or collaborations or modelling she’d done. “I’m working _so_ hard to build mine now, which is why I’m in LA having meetings and doing more collabs.”

“Is modelling enough for _you_?” Jason asked.

Aberdeen almost spit out her water, but Willy beat her to it. She saw Saylor’s face light up even more. “Oh my God, _yes_. I _looove_ modelling. I’m soooo into the creative aspect of it and building my brand.”

“That’s great, Saylor,” Aberdeen smiled. “I’m really glad that it’s working out for you considering how much you love it.”

“Thanks, girl,” she winked. “It’s hard because the industry is so saturated these days. I mean we were talking about this in New York. Every girl with an iPhone, some makeup, and good angles thinks she’s a model. It _really_ takes someone creative like me to stand out. Someone with a unique look and a unique brand,” she went on. “Like your nose, you know? It’s big. _Huge_. We talked about that. You could get a nose job, or you could work with it. Most would get a nose job.” 

Jason was ready for Aberdeen to snap. So was John. So was Pierre. But William knew better. When he saw Aberdeen smile, close-mouthed, just a hint of a coy grin playing on her face, he knew better. “I have a Virginia Woolf nose,” Aberdeen said. “It reminds me of how much I want to become a writer and not a model.”

***

“I feel like I just watched a WWE match on pay-per-view,” Aberdeen overheard Justin say to Jason in a low voice as they trailed behind her in the parking lot (he sat beside Jason during the meal and had heard everything, but even if he hadn’t sat beside him, Aberdeen had a feeling he still would have heard). After the tacos were eaten, everybody decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel – well, mostly everyone. Saylor wanted to go out for drinks somewhere else in Malibu. Everybody else politely declined.

“Yeah, except it was pretty one-sided,” Jason said in an equally low voice. “It’s like Aberdeen was Stone Cold Steve Austin and Saylor was the poor jobber her stunnered every Monday night.”

“You picked up on the nose comment too, right? I mean she was basically telling Aberdeen to get a nose job?” Justin asked.

“Yup,” Jason popped the P sound. 

“I thought I was going crazy when I heard it.”

“Yeah, me too. But from what I’ve heard from Jen I didn’t expect more from her.”

“It’s good that Aberdeen is mature. I think if it were me at 22, I would have lunged across the table,” Justin commented.

***

“Who’s Virginia Woolf?”

Aberdeen was lying naked in her hotel bed, tits out, with William lying by her side after he’d fucked her, and that was the question he asked. Aberdeen smiled. She loved William and she _knew_ him – she really did, at least she liked to think – but sometimes she didn’t understand how his brain worked. She knew she liked to call him “Head Empty”, but sometimes she wasn’t so sure. He clearly had thoughts. He just brought them up at weird times. “She was a writer in the early 1900s,” she answered, laughing slightly.

“And you want to be like her?”

She shook her head. “I’d like my writing to be like her writing.”

“Why don’t you want to be like _her_?”

“She filled her pockets with rocks and committed suicide by drowning herself in the river behind her home,” she said, looking over at him. His face was blank, processing the information, and she smiled wider. “Maybe if my writing was like hers, I’d actually get published in Toronto Life or something.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Her smile faded. She hadn’t told him yet. She’d wanted to keep it to herself for as long as possible because she didn’t want to burden him with the news. “I did try. I sent in one of my personal essays and they rejected it. They sent me the email on my birthday.”

William remained silent. He saw the look on Aberdeen’s face and knew that she felt embarrassed and disappointed – in herself, in her writing. He wrapped an arm around her and propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her. “Minskatt…”

“Don’t, Willy. You’re going to make me cry.”

“No,” he shook his head, not accepting what she was saying. “After the Carolina game you told me I needed to talk more and that you’d listen. Well, _you_ need to talk now and _I’ll_ listen,” he said. “Talk to me, minskatt. I’m listening.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and it wasn’t because of her writing getting rejected anymore. It was because of the man hovering over her. His head may by empty, but Aberdeen was sure his heart was full of gold. She didn’t know how she got so lucky. She didn’t know how he was hers. “I just don’t know how much more rejection I can take,” she whispered. “I try and I _try_ and I write and I _write_ and I _read_ so I can write better and nothing is working. _Nothing_ ,” her voice was shaky. “I just want an editor to read my writing and say _‘This is what I’ve been looking for all along.’_ But that hasn’t happened yet. And I’m scared it’s never going to happen.”

“It’ll happen one day, minskatt. I promise you,” William encouraged as he tightened his grip around her with his one arm. “You’re so talented. Your dreams are going to come true and you’re going to look back and wonder why you ever doubted yourself.”

“Do you doubt me?” she asked suddenly.

“No,” William said without hesitation. “Not for a second.”

Aberdeen stayed silent, bringing a hand up to wipe the few tears that had fallen down the side of her face. She rested it on William’s forearm draped across her body. “When I get like this, all my insecurities come out. About my future, about everything. Maybe I was never destined to be a writer. Maybe I was destined to be a personal assistant or a bank teller. Maybe I was destined just to be normal girl with a big nose and nothing special.”

“How can you say you’re nothing special when you’re my treasure?” he asked, burying his face in the crook of her neck and placing a light kiss there. She couldn’t help but smile, and he smiled at the fact he made her smile. “That has to count for something, right _minskatt_?” he stressed the word.

She nodded. “It counts for everything.” She looked directly into his baby blues, barely blinking. “The second I leave here I’m going to plant the biggest kiss on your lips, Willy. You have absolutely no idea.”

That caused William to laugh out loud before he bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “Not if I beat you to it,” he said.

“You won’t. Trust me. God, I can hardly wait,” she said. “I still don’t know why you keep waiting for me.”

“Are you listening?” he asked.

“Mhm.”

“I wait for you because I love you. Because I love everything about you.”

“Even my big nose?”

“My favourite part of you,” he kissed the tip of it. She could have cried again. “It’s what makes you _you_. I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

When she craned her neck to kiss him, she made sure to wrap her arms around his body and pull him close, wanting to feel his body on top of hers. He got the hint, and stuck his tongue down her throat, and they kissed until he was hard again. Though he hadn’t expected a second round, he was more than willing to partake. He even made sure to bring extra condoms. He always did now – since Valentine’s Day. He had them everywhere: in his wallet, in his suitcase, in his shoe. “I love you minskatt,” he mumbled against her lips.

She didn’t respond at first. But when she did, it was with something he wasn’t expecting. “Tell me how you want me.”

He froze for a brief second, the previous conversation they were just having still fresh in his mind. “What?”

“Do you want me from behind? On top?” she asked in a breathy voice.

He groaned. “On top.” 

They switched positions so he was lying on his back. Aberdeen climbed on top of him. “Willy?” she asked. “Can we…can we try something different?”

He nodded quickly. “What is it, Aberdeen?”

“Can we…” she began, almost a bit embarrassed. “Can I try reverse cowgirl?”

William couldn’t help but smile. “Of course,” he said, gripping at her hips. 

“D’you have another condom?”

“My back pocket.”

She dismounted him, leaning over the bed to grab his pants on the floor and retrieve the packet. When she straddled him again, she did it so her back was to his face. He could feel her pump him a few times before she rolled on the condom, and he sighed at the feeling. She looked over her shoulder at him. “I love you, Willy.”

“I love you too,” he said, his hands back on her hips. He helped her lower herself onto him, the both of the moaning at the feeling. He loved watching himself disappear inside of her. He noticed she wasn’t moving yet. “You okay?” he asked. 

Aberdeen nodded her head. “It feels so good,” she said. “I’ve never…you know…”

“It’s okay,” he said, understanding what she wasn’t saying. He couldn’t believe that her previous sexual partners were so selfish that they never let her explore what she liked or what she could _possibly_ like or positions she could do. He shuddered at the thought of her potentially asking and being turned down. It made him angry just thinking about it. He didn’t want her to be that way with him. He wanted her to be completely open. “Do what you feel comfortable with, minskatt.”

She began rolling her hips back and forth. William groaned in response, and he could feel Aberdeen’s hands grip his thighs and her nails dig in slightly. As she rocked herself on his cock, she began to moan, gasping out anytime William would buck his hips slightly. He had to admit he liked the view, but what he liked even more was that she was enjoying herself on top of him, doing what _she_ wanted. 

“Willy?” she asked suddenly. She looked over her shoulder at him again. She looked so innocent and he knew that she meant to do it, and he almost exploded right then and there as she bat her eyelashes at him. “Can you…can you come up here?”

He did as he was told, pushing himself up and wrapping his arms around her body. He kissed her back and dragged his lips along her skin to her shoulder and neck. “What is it, minskatt?” he asked.

“What if I wanted to try more?”

If it was possible, William felt even hotter. The sound of her voice saying those words was… _indescribable_. “What do you mean?”

“You just make me feel so good. I’ve never had anybody make me feel this way. I feel so comfortable with you,” she said. “You…I feel safe to try things with you. Things I couldn’t try with other guys.”

He knew what she was getting at. He placed a tender kiss on her shoulder. “What do you want to try?” he asked. She remained silent, wondering if she should have even said anything. “Don’t be ashamed, minskatt. What do you want me to do?”

She hesitated. “D’you…can you pinch my nipples?”

He smiled because it was such a simple request. He brought his hands up and cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples between his thumb and index fingers. He felt her sharp intake of breath and her head leaned back into his shoulder. He could tell by her reaction that she wanted more. “What else?” he asked, biting down on her skin near her shoulder. “What are you not telling me?”

“ _That_ ,” she stressed. He didn’t know what she meant. “The bite. You—You can _fuck_ me, Willy. I _want_ you to _fuck_ me. You can be rougher with me. I think I’ll like it.”

When William heard those words and how she emphasized them, he wanted to make sure. _Needed_ to make sure. The first time they had sex it was a good old-fashioned hookup. The second time they had sex they’d made love. In subsequent times since, it was mostly making love, if only because they had waited so long to finally be together and that was what they wanted to “release” – love. But now, with those words being said, he knew Aberdeen was ready to take the next step. She was willing to go further. She _trusted him_ to go further with her, and only wanted to do it _with him_. “Yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I trust you. _Fuck_ me, Willy.”

He pinched her nipples again, harder this time, and she gasped. He started to move his hips too, moving inside of her, and she began to moan again. Without warning, he fell back down on the bed, bringing her with him so her back was flush against his chest, though her knees were still bent and he was still in her. This was _definitely_ a new position for her, judging by her reaction – a quick _“oh fuck”_ escaping her lips. He heard her breathing get heavier as she felt one of his hands snake down from her breasts and on to her clit. “Willy…” she moaned out. 

He started pounding into her, using his athletic physique to be able to so with such force in a new angle she’d never felt before. Her moans fuelled him, and the moans changed to slight whimpers when he started rubbing at her clit. “Fuck, Willy…” she managed to get out.

But he wasn’t done. At least he didn’t want to be done. His other hand, still pinching her nipple, moved up to her neck. “ _Willy_ ,” she mewled, bringing her own hand up and placing it over his.

“Is that okay?” he whispered into her ear. He wasn’t applying any pressure – it was just sort of there – but that was apparently enough for her. He wouldn’t have felt comfortable going further, anyway, at least without her verbalizing something.

“ _Yes_ Willy, _fuck_ ,” she arched her back. “Fuck me. _Fuck me harder_.”

He increased his pace. Her cries let him know that even with those simple actions, she was feeling pleasure. She was liking it. She was getting what she wanted from him. That was the only thing he wanted. “I want you to cum all over my cock, Aberdeen,” he growled into her ear. She didn’t answer, but when she arched her back again, he felt her walls tighten around his cock and he knew she was done. He let himself find his release too, groaning in pleasure as her body writhed on top of his. He didn’t stop rubbing her clit until her hand went over his to stop him. Her body went still as he slipped out of her and she fell to his side, trying to regain her breath. 

After a couple of minutes, she curled around to face him. “I know that was probably really tame but it was new for me.”

William shook his head. He didn’t want her to feel nervous about anything. “Baby steps,” he kissed her. 

“No guy has ever, like… _asked_ what I like in the bedroom,” she admitted. “So I couldn’t explore things. Well I didn’t feel comfortable exploring things. But I know I can with you.”

William nodded his head. “Don’t worry, minskatt. We can start slow. No need to rush. You can tell me what you like and where you’re willing to go.”

“You too.”

“Hmm?”

“You tell _me_ what you like and where you’re willing to go, and I’ll go there with you too.”

He nodded his head, smiling. “I love you.”

“I love you too. More than anything.”


	27. Chapter 26

**March 10 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was about to show Camden around Scotiabank Arena.

“Don’t touch anything that’s not yours to touch, okay?” she warned him as they were just outside the doors to the arena. She looked down at him to make sure everything looked okay – that his hair was nicely brushed, that his shirt wasn’t wrinkled, that his pants weren’t drooping, that his shoes were tied – before she bent down. “I mean it. We’re taking extra cleaning protocols because of this coronavirus thing and you don’t want to make extra work for the cleaning staff, right?”

“Right,” he nodded his head. “Don’t worry, Aberdeen.”

“And _no_ touching the sticks. The guys are super-finicky about their sticks.”

“No touching the sticks.”

“And no touching anything in their stalls, either. A lot of them are superstitious so if one thing is off, they’ll know.”

“No touching the stalls.”

“And no touching the—”

“No touching!!!” he yelled, clearly getting the point. “Can we go inside now?”

Aberdeen was nervous. But Camden was a good kid. She had confidence that he wouldn’t embarrass her. “Yes, we can go in now,” she said, about to get back on her feet. And then she remembered. “But one last thing—”

“ _Aberdeeeeeeeeeeeen_!”

“The most important thing,” she said over him. “You _cannot_ tell anyone William Nylander came to our house for Christmas and you _cannot_ talk like you’ve met him before.”

Camden nodded his head. “I _knooooow_. William spending Christmas with us has to be a secret _always and forever_. I get it. Can we _please_ go inside now so I can see everyone before mom and dad get here?”

Aberdeen smiled. What a kid. “Let’s go,” she said, standing up and putting her arm around his back as they walked into the arena together. Aberdeen flashed her fob to open the door and led Camden towards the elevators, taking it up to her office. Camden was looking around at everything – everything was big and shiny and very sports-y, and he knew that if he was good, Aberdeen would take him to the Raptor’s locker room too.

“Heeeeey,” Brendan smiled as he saw Aberdeen ushering Camden into the office, getting up from his seat. He’d never seen Aberdeen look so proud as she did as they walked into the room. “How you doin’, buddy? Remember me? The candy man from Christmas?”

Camden nodded his head. “Hello Mr. Shanahan. I remember you,” Camden held out his hand. 

Brendan chuckled as he shook his little 11-year-old hand. “You’re just like your sister. Very formal. She wouldn’t call me Brendan for _months_.”

Camden looked up at her. “Yeah, mom and dad make sure we always call people mister and misses. If we didn’t and mom heard about it, she’d have a fit. Same with dad.”

“My mom was the same way, you know. I think it’s because they grew up in Belfast,” Brendan winked.

“Probably.”

“So what do you want to see, bud?” Brendan asked. “I don’t think you want to see the offices, right? But not a lot of the guys are here yet.”

Camden looked around at Brendan’s office. He clearly had something on his mind, though he seemed a bit nervous to say it. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

Camden bit his lip slightly. “My sister told me the guys get to eat here if they want to. But where do they eat?”

Brendan had the most amused look on his face. Aberdeen couldn’t help but chuckle from behind Camden too. “You want to go see _catering_?”

“I guess so.”

Brendan shook his head. He loved kids. “Then we’re going to catering.”

***

Camden, Aberdeen, and Brendan went to catering. Camden met the head chef and got to stir some onions and garlic frying in a pan as the base for the pasta sauce that night. He even helped set the menu, deciding to go for grilled chicken for the guys. He originally suggested fried, but the chef told him the guys needed to eat clean and that if they had friend chicken, John Tavares would get mad at everyone for eating it, because they _would_ eat it. 

They saw Kyle, who brought them out into the empty arena, and brought them all the way down to ice level where Aberdeen was able to take some pictures of him on the empty ice, on the Leafs bench, and even in the penalty box. Camden got a kick out of it all, and got less shy and more boisterous as the minutes passed and Brendan and Kyle allowed him to do funny things. He was even able to see the Zamboni. He was smart enough not to ask if the man tending to it was David Ayres. 

When they were back in the corridors of the arena, Kyle looked down at Camden who was practically skipping through the hallways. “I heard your sister got you a pretty cool Raptors jersey for Christmas,” Kyle said.

“Yup!” Camden nodded his head. “A Kyle Lowry one. He’s the coolest. I wore it on my first day of school back from Christmas break and all my friends thought it was soooo cool.”

“Do you want to go into their locker room?” Kyle smiled, already knowing the answer. 

Camden’s eyes lit up like the fourth of July. “Can I?! For real?!” he asked.

“For real,” Kyle nodded. “Come on, let’s go. Maybe we can get a picture of you in Kyle Lowry’s stall.”

Fireworks were practically shooting out of Camden’s eyes as they walked inside of the dressing room. He looked at every stall and every player’s name written at the top. The only thing he could keep saying was _“This is so cool!”_ and _“Oh my God!”_ Aberdeen hung out at the perimeter of the room as she watched him, letting Camden get the full effect. He kept looking back at her and smiling from ear to ear, clearly not believing anything was real. Aberdeen would smile back and urge him to keep looking.

Suddenly, she heard a door open from behind her. She turned around quickly to see who it was and make sure she wasn’t in the way, but realistically, there shouldn’t have been anyone else there besides them, so she was skeptical. When she saw who it was, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “Oh, hello Miss Bloom!” Masai greeted her after he’d poked his head through the door. He had a casual sports jacket on with a plain black polo shirt and a nice pair of pressed slacks. “How are you?”

“I’m fine Mr. Ujiri. How are you?”

“All good here. What’s the occasion?” he asked, nodding his head towards Kyle, Brendan, and Camden.

“That’s my little brother Camden,” she said, only to see Masai’s smile grow. “I think he feels like he’s won the lottery right now.”

“Camden?” he clarified the name in a low voice. She nodded her head before watching him close the door and step into the locker room confidently. “Hello Camden!” he beamed.

Camden whipped his head around. When he saw that it was Masai Ujiri, his face dropped. Brendan and Kyle smiled. “Masai Ujiri?!” Camden yelled.

“That’s me! Are you having fun?”

Camden didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t formulate words, and he couldn’t move, and the step forward he took was mute when he froze in place because he didn’t think it was polite to hug Masai Ujiri, so he just sort of stood there in a weird stance with his jaw on the floor until he could formulate one simple word. “Hi.”

Everybody laughed. Masai made his way into the room. “You’re a big Raptors fan? Who’s your favourite?”

“K—K—Kyle Lowry,” Camden stuttered out. 

“Good choice,” Masai smiled. “Do you want a picture in his stall?”

Camden could only nod enthusiastically. He walked towards the stall, and Aberdeen knew it was her cue. She took out her phone and began snapping pictures of him standing, sitting, pointing at Kyle’s name – everything. Camden had the biggest smile ever on his face. Then Masai posed with him too, and an even bigger smile appeared on his face. It was all so cool. And then—

“Hey! Who’s that in my stall?”

A shiver went up Aberdeen’s spine. From his spot in the stall, Camden’s face dropped again – if it was possible, even more this time than when Masai walked into the room. She turned around to see the man himself, Kyle Lowry, walk into the room. “What’s up, buddy?” Kyle asked, smiling from ear to ear.

“K—Ky—Ky—” Camden couldn’t get his name out. “K—Kyle—”

“That’s me. You having fun?” he asked. Camden nodded. “Have you ever been in here before?”

“N—No Mr. Lowry, I—I’ve just s—seen it on TV,” Camden stuttered out. 

“Who’s Mr. Lowry? Call me Kyle,” he said as he walked towards him. “You excited to be in here?” he asked. Camden could only nod his head. “You watch us at home?”

“I watch you at home with my dad all the time,” Camden said, which was true. They’d watched almost all the games last season (until Camden’s bedtime, naturally), and he stayed up past his bedtime for all the playoff games. This year, he and Mirza were continuing the tradition. 

“Do you have a jersey to wear while you watch them?”

“Aberdeen gave me a jersey for Christmas.”

Everyone laughed at his innocence. It was only then that Aberdeen noticed a jersey draped over Kyle’s shoulder. Even _she_ was freaking out, because she knew how much this meant to Camden. “So I guess you don’t want this one then?” Kyle asked, pulling the jersey off his shoulder. He opened it up to reveal a vintage-style jersey, one with the original logo. He took a Sharpie and asked Camden for his name and how to spell it before writing it on the jersey and signing it. “You want a picture, buddy?” Kyle asked. Camden could only nod. He was too shocked. Aberdeen was glad they were being so patient with him. 

They posed together with Kyle’s stall in the background, and then Masai joined in, and then Aberdeen got in, too. Camden was rendered speechless. When they were led out of the locker room, Kyle and Masai said goodbye before they disappeared into the elevator. Kyle said a few parting words as well since he had to take an important phone call before the game. Brendan left Aberdeen and Camden alone to go to his office, expecting Orla and Mirza anytime now. It left Aberdeen and Camden alone, with Aberdeen knowing Camden was still star-struck by what just happened.

“Ab—Aberdeen,” Camden said finally, once the men were gone. He was clutching onto the jersey so tight, like it would float away. 

“Are you alright, Cam?” she asked, bending down on her knee so she could look him in the eye. 

He shook his head. “I w—wasn’t ready for that,” he said, his voice shaky. “I didn’t—I didn’t look like a loser, did I?”

“What? No way!” she exclaimed. “Camden, you _never_ look like a loser.”

“He was _so cool_ Aberdeen! I mean he’s _Kyle Lowry_!” he said as he began to cry. 

“C’mere,” she cooed, wrapping her arms around him tightly and pulling her brother in for a big hug. “I know it was overwhelming, but that’s okay! You just met your hero! I bet if any of your other friends met their hero, they wouldn’t know what to do either,” she said, trying to get him to calm down. 

As Aberdeen continued to hug her brother, rubbing his back so he’d calm down a bit, she heard people making their way up the stairs, and soon, she saw William and Auston making their way up. William noticed her first, looking her straight in the eye even though Auston was talking to him. When Auston noticed him not responding, he looked and saw Aberdeen. 

“Hey,” William greeted them, looking at her skeptically. “Everything okay?”

Aberdeen nodded her head against Camden’s shoulder. “Camden just had a big moment,” she said, giving them both a look. “He just met Masai Ujiri and Kyle Lowry.”

Both William’s and Auston’s eyes bulged out. “Ooooooh, wow!” they cooed together. “Dude, that’s so awesome!” Auston said, sounding excited, trying to make Camden as comfortable as possible as Aberdeen let go of the hug so Camden could face Auston and Willy.

“I’d be the same way, bud! Don’t worry!” William said as he noticed the nervous and embarrassed look on Camden’s face as he wiped away whatever few tears fell. He noticed the jersey hanging from Camden’s other hand. “Is that it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Let’s see it,” Auston said gently.

Camden unfolded it gently, as if the autograph would rub off. When the guys noticed that it was a vintage jersey, they commented on how cool it looked. And when they finally saw the personalized autograph, they were all but screaming. “ _I_ don’t even have one of these, bud!” Auston exclaimed. “You’re sooooo lucky!”

“Yeah, me neither!” William joined in. “You’ve gotta frame that or something.”

“I gotta show all my friends at school first,” he said. The more Camden calmed down, the more he came to his senses. He took a second and third look at the men in front of him – he of course noticed and knew William, but it was Auston who he finally realized was standing in front of him. “Holy moly, you’re Auston Matthews!”

Auston giggled. “Yes I am.”

“You…you’re the coolest!”

“Thanks, bud,” he said. “Has your sister brought you into our locker room yet?”

Camden shook his head. “Not yet. There was nobody here yet so we went to catering.”

“Catering?!” William was shocked. “You brought your brother to _catering_?!”

“I told him how you guys could eat before the game and he wanted to see!” Aberdeen tried to defend herself. 

William shook his head. “Come on, Camden. Let’s see who’s already here.”

With Auston leading the way and Camden in front of him, William looked back at Aberdeen behind him and winked at her. “By the way Aberdeen, how do I look?” he asked.

She smiled. “You look like if the song ‘Africa’ by Toto were a person.”

Auston threw his head back and cackled loudly like a seagull. William shook his head. Camden looked back at his sister. “What’s Toto? Isn’t that the dog from the Wizard of Oz?”

“Don’t worry about it, Cam,” she said. 

Camden was nervous as they approached the doors of the locker room, so he waited for his sister to be near him before he stepped through. When he did, he was wide-eyed and amazed; he couldn’t believe he’d just been in the Raptor’s locker room and now he was in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ locker room, too. Most of the guys were actually already in the room, but luckily they were not in various stages of undress yet. Morgan was the first one to notice them – it was his first game back from injury, so his energy level was off the charts. “ _Aberdeen_!” he yelled her name, giant smile on his face. His eyes moved to Camden. “Who’s this?”

“This is Camden, my little brother,” she said, introducing him. “Camden, that’s Morgan Rielly. He’s one of our alternate captains and it’s his first game back tonight.”

“What’s up, Camden?” he asked, smiling gently. 

“Hello Mr. Rielly.”

“Camden just met Masai Ujiri and Kyle Lowry, so he’s a bit shocked at everything right now,” Aberdeen said, making a face at Morgan that Camden couldn’t see. 

Morgan got the hint. “That’s the jersey then, huh?” he pointed to the jersey still in Camden’s hands. Camden nodded. “Isn’t Kyle just _so cool_?” Morgan asked.

A smile spread on Camden’s face. “He’s my _faaaaavourite_ ,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Do I hear a Bloom brother is here?” Tyson’s voice boomed from the other end of the locker room. Aberdeen watched him walk through the door with a big smile on his face. “What’s up?! You must be Camden!”

“Hello Mr. Barrie.”

“You excited for the game tonight?”

Camden nodded. “It’s my first ever hockey game.”

“ _First_ _ever_?! Okay, we gotta make it extra special then,” Tyson smiled. “Where are you sitting?”

Camden looked up to Aberdeen, because he didn’t have a clue. “Mom, dad, and Camden are sitting in row 20 at centre ice,” she said. “If he’s good he’ll be back after the game too. But _only_ if he’s good.”

“Hey! I’m always good!” he objected.

“I’m not sure about that.”

***

As Aberdeen sat with Brendan in the box, she noticed him checking his phone a lot more than usual. It was especially peculiar because this was a game against Tampa Bay – a very good team and many saw this as a must-win for the Leafs, especially since they won their last game against Tampa Bay on her birthday. And like with the game in Ottawa, when Siena was there, and on her birthday, when he scored that insane between-the-legs goal, William was just showing off. He was playing great, and had scored a goal in the first period. Aberdeen _knew_ he was hamming it up for her and her family, knowing they were in attendance. 

When Auston scored in the third period to get the score to 2-1, Brendan was happy but it didn’t last long. He began furiously typing away on his phone. She wondered if there was a problem with one of his kids or with Catherine. He usually wasn’t this distracted during games.

“Is everything okay, Brendan?” she asked once the final buzzer went. The Leafs had won 2-1 and she thought he’d be much happier.

He pursed his lips together, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. “Trying to keep up on the coronavirus,” he said. The media had already been put at bay and weren’t allowed close to the players anymore. She wondered if new restrictions were being implemented and the media wrote a pissy open letter demanding access again. “It’s not looking good. I mean, the entire country of Italy is in a fucking lockdown. They can’t control this thing.”

Aberdeen heard that news yesterday. It was a shock to her, mainly because she didn’t think it was possible an entire country could go into lockdown. But the north was getting rattled by it, and it seemed like the only logical thing to do, however draconian it was. She had a lot of Italian friends from high school whose family were still in Italy and were affected by it. “What do you think will happen?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” he said. “I mean…it’s getting serious. _Really_ serious. And I’m not convinced it can be contained like we all hope it can be,” he said. 

“What do you think will happen with _us_?” she followed up.

“If…ah, I honestly don’t know, Aberdeen. They could postpone games by a few days. I mean, I think that’s the worst-case scenario right now – everything being delayed by a couple of weeks.”

Aberdeen bit her lip. “Yeah…I guess that’s totally worst-case scenario.”

“Absolute _worst_ -case scenario,” Brendan repeated. “Do I think it will get that bad? I don’t know. I don’t _think_ so. But I have no clue about these things.”

“What…I mean, the directive has to come from the league, right?” she asked.

“Of course. It always comes from the top down. We’ll see what happens. We can’t worry about hypotheticals.”

Aberdeen nodded. He was right. “So I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday when Nashville is in town?”

“You betcha. Let me walk you down and say goodbye to your family.”

***

Aberdeen had barely taken her shoes off when she got into her condo before she felt her phone buzz in her hand. 

_can i see u?_

She couldn’t believe him. But at the same time, she could.

_You’re lucky you can._

_i’ll be there in 5_

She took the five minute opportunity to change out of her work clothes and take off her makeup. When the calling buzz rang from her phone, she immediately let him in. Within minutes, he was knocking at her door, and she was letting him in like she always did. 

“How’s your brother?” he asked as he took off his shoes. 

“He’s fine,” she smiled slightly, liking that William was asking about him. Camden had returned to the Leafs locker room after the game (if the media found out, she knew they’d have a hissy fit since _they_ weren’t even allowed back there, but Brendan didn’t care) and Auston gave him his game-worn jersey, which all the guys ended up signing. By the end of the night, all of the excitement of the day and the game had caught up to him, and he was practically falling asleep standing up. “He was tired by the end but I could tell it was the best day of his life.”

“He’s a cute kid,” William commented. “You guys are alike, you know.”

“How?” Aberdeen was curious.

“You’re both…like, _pure_. You both light up the room when you enter it,” he smiled. The shy smile on her face was his favourite. He approached her, not wanting to wait any longer. “Is Kasha home?” he asked before he put his arm around her. 

“No. She’s with Evan tonight,” Aberdeen said.

“Sleeping over?”

Aberdeen nodded, a smirk on her face. “Aren’t you a lucky boy.”

William smiled. “The luckiest boy in the world,” he mumbled, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her against his body. 

“You always know the perfect opportunities to show up,” she said. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re in cahoots with her as to when to come over and get in my pants.”

William chuckled, leaning down. “In _cahoots_?” he mumbled against her lips. “The only thing or person I’m in _cahoots_ with these days is _you_ , minskatt.”

“Not Rasmus?” she asked.

He grumbled at her before deciding to get her to be quiet by kissing her. When his lips planted on hers, she let out a slight gasp before wrapping her own arms around his shoulders, kissing him fully and sticking her tongue down his throat in no time at all. As they kissed in the middle of her kitchen, William slipped his hands underneath her shirt and up to her bra, feeling her breasts through the cotton fabric. “Bedroom?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded. “Please.”

***

**March 11 th, 2020**

_Good afternoon. In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has tripled. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals. In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher. WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction._

_We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic._

***

Aberdeen’s brows were furrowed as she and Kasha watched TV, the both of them feeling like they were in the twilight zone or something. The basketball game was supposed to have started, but never did. People were rushing off the court. Nobody knew what was going on, and the announcers were just speaking in hypotheticals. It was all very confusing – that is, until, the headline came:

_Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus._

The girls couldn’t keep their eyes off the TV screen. Now the Utah Jazz _and_ the Oklahoma City Thunder were being quarantined inside the arena and being tested. Just the other day, Rudy Gobert was making light of the entire situation and touching all of the reporters’ microphones after his interview with them. Now he had the virus.

“Oh my God,” Kasha muttered as she looked down at her phone. 

“What? What’s going on?” Aberdeen asked.

“Tom Hanks just announced he has it,” she announced, looking up. 

The girls looked at each other, speechless.

***

“Did you hear the NBA has suspended their season?” Aberdeen asked as she lay in her bed, holding her phone along the pillow as she looked at William through the screen. He was doing the same thing. His disheveled hair and sleepy blue eyes would have made her swoon in any other situation, but right now, she wasn’t swooning. 

“Yeah,” he nodded. He noticed she was wearing the hoodie that he left there by accident last night. “It’s crazy. I mean it’ll probably be for the next few days until they have everything under control, you know?”

“Yeah,” Aberdeen said, but she wasn’t so sure. “What do you think the NHL will do?” she asked.

“No clue. Maybe they’ll suspend the next few days of games too, just to make sure everything is under control too. We’ll probably have to get tested. I heard they stick something all the way up your nose,” William said. There were a few moments of silence between them. “Are you scared, minskatt?”

It was the first time somebody actually asked her that question – asked her if she was _scared_. Everybody _talked_ about it but nobody ever stopped to ask if she was actually _scared_. She felt herself nodding her head. “A little bit,” she admitted.

“Don’t be scared, minskatt. I don’t want you to feel scared. But I’m here if you want to talk about it. You know that, right?”

She nodded her head. “Are _you_ scared, Willy?”

He nodded too. “Yeah. A little bit.”

***

**March 12 th, 2020**

Aberdeen had an incredibly early morning. She actually went into the office at 7:30 in the morning because Brendan requested she be there for some additional prep and to scribe the minutes of the meeting taking place with the NHL and the Board of Governors. With a tired body but overactive mind, thinking about all the possibilities that could happen, her fingers moved a mile a minute across the keyboard as she sat with Brendan and Kyle. Up until this point, everything in the league was carrying on as normal, despite the NBA postponing their season not even twelve hours prior. She knew for a fact other teams around the league were still preparing to hold practices because those who were on the call said so and asked about it. The Nashville Predators were already in for a morning skate, and the Leafs were going to have their practice right after. 

When the decision was made, and all that needed to be done was tell the players before the statement was drafted and released to the media, Brendan took a long, hard, exasperated sigh. He rubbed at his temples and let his pen drop from his hand. He leaned back in his chair before he looked at Aberdeen. “All the guys are present and accounted for in the locker room. We have to go and tell them.”

The thought of having to tell the team was daunting. She knew it wasn’t _her_ that was going to be delivering the bad news, but it would still be disheartening just being in the room and seeing their faces drop. They’d probably have so many questions and Brendan and Kyle wouldn’t have any answers for them. She looked at Kyle to see if he could offer her any solace but he was rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses. “What do you think they’ll say?” she asked.

Brendan shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows. But nobody will be happy. I know that much.”

As they made their way towards the locker room, Kyle texted Sheldon to make sure all the guys and all the personnel were congregated in the locker room to hear the announcement. With the Predators also being there, Aberdeen knew there’d be overlap. So many of them knew each other so she wondered if they had already gone to see each other.

When they got into the locker room, everyone was waiting like kids in class. Aberdeen locked eyes with William and moved off to the side as Brendan and Kyle stood at the front of the room. They were told the news.

“For how long?”

“Even _practices_? I mean this is just going to be for a few days, right?”

“Are they releasing a statement?”

“Did the league say anything about making up the games?”

“When are we going to start again?”

“Does that mean the season is being extended even further into the summer? Doesn’t that delay next season? What about the CBA?”

“What’s the PA have to say about this?”

“Is the PA making a statement too?”

“What do we do with our equipment? Our stalls?”

_We don’t know._

_We don’t know._

_We don’t know._

“Listen, the only thing we do know for sure is this: it’s been classified as a pandemic now by the World Health Organization and it’s spreading quickly. This thing can’t be contained. With Gobert testing positive last night, it was only a matter of time before this thing affected us, too. We share so many locker rooms with NBA players. It might already even be in our league and we don’t know it,” Brendan said.

“Schools have already announced an extended March Break. Nobody knows a lot right now but what we can tell you is that we’re going to listen to the public health officials and their advice,” Kyle said. “We’re hockey players – we’re not epidemiologists. If someone tells me to stop playing a full-contact sports to stop the spread of a highly infectious diseases even the world’s best epidemiologists still know very little about, I’m going to listen to them.”

“So what do we do now?” Morgan asked.

“Go home. Until you’re given further directives from us, go home and _stay home_.”

***

_"In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight's games," Commissioner Bettman said in a statement._

_"The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night's news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus -- and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point -- it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time._

_"We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions -- including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy."_

***

When Aberdeen got home, the news had just been announced that Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Justin’s wife, had it. The anxiety Aberdeen felt only multiplied. Kasha wasn’t home when she got home – she was at work, obviously – so it was just her alone with her thoughts, and it wasn’t going well. Aberdeen prided herself on watching the news and keeping up to date with current events, but the doomscrolling she was doing on her Twitter and the CNN feed she turned on in the background wasn’t helping.

Then she heard the buzzer for her apartment. That could only mean one thing. 

“Are you feeling okay, minskatt?” William asked the first second he saw her, which meant she was unable to ask him why he showed up at her place.

“I…I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m scared, Willy.” Knowing it was still mid-day and that Kasha was at work, he took the opportunity to move closer to her and engulf her in a hug. Her arms were pressed between their bodies as he hugged her tightly. She took a moment to take in his scent and compose herself and try to snap out of all the doomscrolling she’d just done. “What are you even doing here?”

“I needed to see if you were okay. Plus I left my hoodie here the other night and—”

He was interrupted by her phone ringing loudly on the kitchen countertop. They both looked down at it and saw Brendan’s name flash across the screen. A pit formed in Aberdeen’s stomach. She let it ring a few more times before reaching out to pick it up and answer it. “Hello?”

“Did you have contact with anybody from Nashville today?” he asked, not bothering with formalities. “Including staff.”

“Y—Yes,” she said. She had seen and spoken with a bunch of the staff about the situation as everyone was packing up and going home. She was ruminating how it would be more dramatic for them to fly home whereas the Leafs just had to drive. “Why?”

She heard him take a long breath. “We’re getting information about precautions and what you can do to minimize the spread and exposure, and…listen, Aberdeen, the government and every public health official is instituting a policy of a fourteen day quarantine period—”

“ _Quarantine_?! What do you mean _quarantine_?” she asked.

“— _Immediately_.”

“ _Immediately_?!”

“It means no leaving your house. At all. For anything. You…you can’t leave, Aberdeen.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t know what to think, how to feel, anything. She was void of emotion. “Oh my God.”

“I know. Believe me. The entire country is going into lockdown. This is more serious than I could have ever imagined. I’ve gotta call the rest of the team to let them know.”

He hung up the phone. She looked over to William. She knew he’d heard Brendan through the phone. And before she could even utter a word, his phone began ringing. Brendan’s name flashed across his screen this time. He looked her in the eye as he answered. “Hello?..........Yeah. Yeah I caught up with Filip Forsberg for a bit, some of the other Swedish guys too……….okay…okay…what do you mean quarantine? Like stay at home? But like, if I’m out—I—okay, go home immediately? Yeah yeah, I’ll drop everything..........Fourteen days?...Uh, I guess so. I mean I have no choice right?......Yeah I’ll be fine. I’ll have groceries delivered like I always do……Yeah…Yeah…Okay. Bye Brendan.”

They were both speechless. 

***

Aberdeen called Kasha. Kasha was going to take the opportunity to stay at Evan’s place for fourteen days, and would be by after work to pack, during which Aberdeen would lock herself in her room. Aberdeen didn’t know how Kasha would be able to hide a fourteen-day stint at Evan’s place from her dad. But then again, Aberdeen was hiding William from everybody. They both had secrets.

Once everything was arranged, she could finally look at William sitting on her couch. She didn’t even know if he had clothes. Underwear. _Anything_. She looked at him. “Does this mean we’re living together for fourteen days?”

William couldn’t believe what was happening, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but smirk slightly. “I think it does.”


	28. Chapter 27

**March 13 th, 2020**

_Day 1_

Aberdeen Bloom was in quarantine with William Nylander.

There were a lot of groceries. William apparently ordered them all the time, which was news to her, because she thought he just ate out or ordered food all the time. The fact that he even knew grocery delivery existed was a small miracle. They made the choices together, based on what Aberdeen (mostly) could cook (William said he’d help, but she wasn’t so sure), and based on them wanting to experiment for maybe two or three meals. And snacks. They ordered a lot of snacks.

They were trying to make the best out of lockdown, and Aberdeen was sure so many others were doing the same. She was happy that she didn’t have to quarantine for fourteen days alone – when she _really_ thought about it, that would have been the absolute worst thing for her about all of this – but at the same time, everything that was happening in the world right now put her anxiety through the roof. She was thankful that William could sense it. Every time they sat down on the couch or lay down in her bed, his arms would engulf her, or his body would press against hers, and she would just _feel_ him close to her – like the world’s best weighted blanket. It helped so much. She told him so last night. He didn’t really respond; he only nodded. But he understood completely, because she brought him the exact same feeling as he tried to make sense that he was currently living through a global pandemic. 

It took them a while to unpack. And even though they now had food sorted, William’s clothing situation was going to be interesting. He had the clothes that he was wearing yesterday, along with a few odds pieces in his hockey bag (mainly workout gear) and a spare change of clothes in his car for emergencies. In total, he had maybe three and a half “outfits”, and he managed to find underwear to buy with their grocery hall. Aberdeen knew she could always lend him one of her oversized U of T hoodies that he’d already worn, even though it fit a bit snug, and that they could always just do laundry. The thought of him wearing any one of her other oversized hoodies or loungewear but it becoming a crop-top on his big, thick body brought a smile to her face.

Aberdeen began to unpack the last of the bags as William finished loading the fridge with what they had already taken out. She handed him his packs of underwear and he went to put them into her (what was now _their_ ) bedroom. She kept taking things out of the bag. A pack of green beans. A can of coconut milk. Three cans of chickpeas. A pack of condoms. A 36-pack of condoms.

She snorted loudly.

“What’s wrong?” William called out from her room.

She waited, holding up the box in her hand, until he was back. When he saw and realized what she was holding, a small smile played on his face. “What?” he asked.

“You planning on keeping busy or something?” she chuckled.

“What the hell else is there to _do_?” he demanded, causing Aberdeen to laugh out loud. “I’m serious! Why are you laughing at me?”

“Because you’re a horn dog, that’s why,” she said through giggles. “There’s _thirty-six_ condoms in here, Willy! On top of the condoms I _already_ have in my drawer! What are we gonna do? Have sex, like, three times a day?”

“Are you _complaining_?”

“ _No_ ,” she said sternly. The thought of having that much sex with him actually made her quite content. “I’m going to laugh about it and unpack the rest of these groceries and then tonight when we’re on the couch or in my bed and I feel your boner I’m gonna suggest you take one of these out and make it a box of thirty-five instead.”

He smirked. “Why only a box of thirty-five? Why not thirty-four or thirty-three or—”

“Don’t push it,” she threw the box at him to get him to stop talking. 

***

“Gramma, you have to stay inside, okay? Make sure you and grampa stay inside,” William listened as Aberdeen spoke on the phone with her grandparents in Derry, Northern Ireland. They were lying on the touch together, Aberdeen nestled between Willy’s legs, Minerva curled up in her legs, her head resting on his chest as she spoke on the phone. “They don’t know a lot about it yet but it’s unsafe for you guys to be out. Mummy already called your neighbours and they’re going to get you your groceries, okay?”

He could hear a really thick accent on the other end. He had no idea what her grandmother was saying but clearly Aberdeen could understand her. “Yes, we’re all safe here gramma. I have to quarantine for fourteen days because I was in contact with some people who had traveled to Toronto from the States for my job…no, no, I’m okay. I ordered groceries and I’m fine. I’m safe gramma, don’t worry…see, at least you and grampa have each other. I’m in my apartment all alone. Even Kasha can’t be here.”

William grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. He knew she had been worried about her grandparents. She was thankfully able to call them just before they went to bed in Derry. “Yeah, Camden is at home for an extended March Break. We don’t know how long the schools will take to re-open. But mummy is home with him and can always help… Yes, we’re all okay here. And you need to stay healthy too, okay? _Don’t_ go outside. I mean it gramma…Okay…Okay…I love you too gramma. I love you so much. Stay inside…Okay. I love you. Bye.”

When Aberdeen hung up the phone, William waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. She stayed silent. And when he looked at her, he could see tears welling in her eyes. “Hey…” he cooed, tightening the grip he had around her and placing a quick kiss on her temple. “They’re gonna be okay, minskatt.”

***

**March 14 th, 2020**

_Day 2_

“Oh… _oh fuck_ , Willy,” Aberdeen breathed out as she felt William’s tongue pressed against her folds. She couldn’t remember how long he’d been down there for – only that she loved every second of it. It was a miracle that he hadn’t gotten lockjaw or something. 

“I love your pussy, Aberdeen,” he mumbled before sucking on her clit, causing her to buck her hips. 

“GGGGod, your tongue is magic, Willy, _fuuuuuuck_.”

She gripped the sheets of her bed. She felt one of William’s hands snake up her naked body and squeeze her breast, eventually pinching her nipple. She tried to arch her back but he was holding her down with his other arm. “W—Willy—”

“Stay down,” he ordered.

“ _Willy_ —”

He sucked on her clit again and she cried out. With him holding her hips down, she felt like her pleasure was completely under his control, like her pleasure was completely in his hands – quite literally. She figured that if she couldn’t buck her hips like she wanted, then she’d try grinding them against his mouth and tongue instead. When he began doing so, the movements slow but methodical, it was William’s turn to moan out. He knew exactly what she was doing. “Fuck Aberdeen. You’re fucking desperate, aren’t you?”

“Yes—”

“You fucking like it, don’t you?”

“ _Yes_!” she cried out. “I fucking _love_ it, Willy.”

“You want more?” he asked.

She nodded her head fervently. “I—I want more.”

“You want me to stick my fingers in your pussy?”

She huffed out. She never had that happen to her before. She shuddered just thinking about how hot it would be. If William’s tongue alone could make her feel this good, what about his tongue _and_ his fingers? “I want it,” she whispered.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I want your fingers in my pussy, Willy.”

The hand that had been pinching her nipple snaked back down, and William moved himself so his hand could have easy access. The second his fingertips even just slightly touched her wet lips Aberdeen had a sharp intake of breath. “You okay?” he asked as he rubbed them up and down slowly.

“Yeah,” she said quickly. “Just never felt it before. At the same time.”

Willy figured as much. Every time she said something like that, he cursed all her previous partners for being so selfish and not giving her the pleasure she deserved to have. In one sense, he was happy she got to experience these things with him; in another sense, she deserved being pleasured and catered to just like anyone else. And though she wasn’t shy about her sexuality or being sexual in general, and was experienced in some ways (it wasn’t like she was a virgin when they met), he still wanted her to experience everything she wanted during sex. The old things, the new things, the things she wanted to try, the things she wanted to do over and over again. Everything. “It’s going to feel good. I promise.”

“I know it will with you, Willy.”

He started pushing one finger in, slowly. He could see Aberdeen gulp. “You okay?” he asked quickly. She nodded. He pushed it in and pulled it out slowly and eventually heard Aberdeen sigh. “Feel good?”

“Mhm,” she tried to verbalize. “Use—I want your tongue Willy.”

William giggled as he kissed the inside of her thigh to tease her. “So _needy_.”

“Willy, _please_ ,” she begged. Instead of doing what she asked, he curled his finger deep inside of her, and she cried out in pleasure. “Fuck, Willy!” she cried out. He did it again and garnered another cry from her. “Willy—Willy—”

“What do you want, Aberdeen? Tell me what you want.”

“Put another finger in me,” she begged. 

“I thought you wanted me to use my tongue,” he said mischievously.

“ _William_.”

At the use of his full first name, he knew he was being a little shit, so he did as he was told and stuck a second finger in her. His tongue immediately lapped on her clit and he began sucking, moving his fingers in a come-hither motion. The sounds she was making were indescribable – the middle ground between cries and moans of pleasure, and when he put pressure on her hips again to keep them down, they just became louder. He hummed to signal his own pleasure and to add an extra vibration at the feeling, and she let out a loud _‘Fuck!’_ in return. 

“Harder Willy, _harder_ ,” she mewled.

He didn’t go harder, but he knew what to do instead. He switched the position of his hand so his palm was up, and he pushed up, making the come-hither motion again. She cried out louder than ever before. He watched as her eyes bulged out. “Willy—”

“You like that, huh?”

“Willy—Willy please—”

Before she could finish, he did it again. Her hips bucked up so violently that he couldn’t control them in that moment – too preoccupied with her to remember to hold her down – but once he did, she was firmly back on the bed. His tongue attached itself to her clit again. He lapped and sucked expertly and kept moving his fingers as she got louder and louder. “Are you gonna cum for me Aberdeen?”

“Y—Y—Yes Willy, _fuck_.”

“Then cum on my face baby. I want your cum all over my face.”

As she came, she couldn’t buck her hips up because William kept holding her down, so instead, she squeezed his head between her thighs as she writhed on her bed, _trying_ to move as much as possible. William kept his fingers firmly in her and his tongue firmly on her clit, sucking and getting every last bit out of her until she was a crying, squirming mess on her bed. He didn’t stop his movements – instead, only slowing down bit by bit until he pulled his fingers out of her and detached his lips. Even then, it wasn’t long until his lips began kissing their way back up her body, stopping quickly to give two kisses to her breasts before he finally kissed her lips. He made sure they were making eye contact before he brought his fingers up and sucked on them.

A huffing mess, Aberdeen’s body still felt hot; any small touch near her core would have been extremely sensitive. “I think you—I never—I’ve _never_ felt one that intense before,” she said between breaths. “D’you think you got my g-spot or whatever?”

William chuckled confidently. “Probably,” he mumbled before kissing her. She could taste herself on his lips. “God, I love your fucking pussy, Aberdeen,” he whispered before he snaked his hand back down and played with her lips.

She could hear him say those words all day. “Let me suck your cock, Willy.”

“Nuh uh,” he shook his head, “I’m not finished with you yet.”

She felt a shiver run up her spine. “But Willy— _ah_!” she gasped, feeling his fingers slide back into her wet pussy so easily. “ _Wiiillllyyyy_!”

“I’m not finished tasting you yet,” he reiterated. Then, he said the magic words. “You want to sit on my face?”

Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out again. And before her brain could have any apprehensions about what he was asking her to do and how she’d never done it before, her head was already nodding desperately.

***

**March 15 th, 2020**

_Day 3_

They say that when you’re in love, everything is different. You see things in a different way. You _feel_ things in a different way. Like, let’s say your friend took a picture of you. They see you one way, and they capture you one way, too. When the person who loves you takes a picture of you, it’s completely different. It’s unexplainable, but the picture is completely different. There’s just something _there_ that _isn’t_ there with anyone else.

Which is why William came up with the idea to take headshots of Aberdeen.

Every professional writer had one. And because she could never afford to hire a photographer to do a set (that seemed like a luxury and part of a socio-economic bracket she was _definitely_ not a part of yet), William took it upon himself, after hearing some more of her latest writing, to take photos of her. They wouldn’t go out (they _couldn’t_ ); they wouldn’t do anything fancy – just a portrait session against the white walls of her apartment.

She was nervous at first. _“You don’t have to do that,”_ she told him. _“If you think it’s dumb or whatever, you know. Or you think you have to do it just because we’re quarantined together.”_ He was adamant about wanting to do it. _“I want it to be me.”_

That’s when Aberdeen found herself sitting on the floor in front of a while wall, hair and makeup done well but not too well, posing for William. She didn’t know what she was doing, exactly, or how to pose. She was trying to give him _smize_ , as Tyra Banks would say, but she probably looked awful doing it. She brought her hand up to rest on her face or chin; she threw her hair over one shoulder and messed it up a bit; She saw him smiling behind his iPhone and could only wonder what was going through his mind. Did he think she looked dumb? Was she getting good angles? Maybe Saylor was right and—

“You’re so beautiful, minskatt.”

A bashful smile overtook her face, and she could hear the burst sound go off on his phone. “Stop it.”

“Why? I mean it.”

“I’m trying to be serious here and you’re going to send me into a smiling mess.”

William giggled, shaking his head. 

***

Aberdeen was actually shocked. As she looked over all the pictures William took, she couldn’t believe how good they were. She knew he used portrait mode, and tried all the special effects his camera was able to do, but she was still legitimately shocked. When she took pictures of herself, they never came out like this. When Kasha took pictures of her for Instagram, to hype her up, they never came out like this either. There was something… _special_ about them. Something no-one else could capture.

“Are they good?” William asked worriedly as he came back into the living space, plopping down on the couch beside her. Minerva meowed at the disturbance and Willy let out a quick ‘sorry’ to the cat.

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, distracted suddenly.

“Are you sure?”

She clicked on the only burst of photos he took – the one where he said _“You’re so beautiful”_. There was at least twenty-five photos in the burst, and she was looking through all of them. She couldn’t believe what he was able to capture. She couldn’t believe what her face looked like. The expression. Her hair. Her smile. Her brows. Everything. It was all so perfect. 

“Yeah,” she said, finding the one. “I’m positive.”

***

**March 16 th, 2020**

_Day 4_

Aberdeen stood at the stove in her kitchen, stirring the small pot of curry she was making for dinner. The rice was already sufficiently fluffed with a fork and plated into two bowls for her and William. The entire apartment smelled like Thai red curry. It was probably the best the apartment ever smelled since Kasha went crazy at Bath and Body Works in the fall and bought every pumpkin-scented candle available in store. From behind her, she could feel William wrap his arms around her and lay his head on her shoulder. “That smells delicious,” he commented.

William usually fixed breakfast, but Aberdeen took care of lunch and dinner. “Your mom taught you how to cook, right?” Aberdeen asked. She felt him nod. “But not a good old fashioned curry?”

“Mostly Swedish stuff,” William said. “That way I could cook it myself when I was feeling homesick. She taught both me and my brother but he never caught on.”

“What’s your favourite?” she asked again.

He shrugged. “Meatballs, probably. Or pickled herring. My dad makes the best pickled herring I’ve ever had.”

She smiled. “I like Ikea’s Swedish meatballs. Does that count?”

“No,” he said as they both laughed. “When you come to Sweden with me I’m going to make you eat _real_ Swedish meatballs.”

When. _When_. Aberdeen couldn’t help but harp on his use of _when_. “When am I coming to Sweden?” she asked cheekily.

“Whenever you want,” he said. “You say the words and I’ll take you there.”

When the curry was finished, she plated it in the bowls with the rice and brought it out to the coffee table. She and Kasha didn’t have a dining table – they usually just ate their kitchen bar did exactly what she was doing right now. William was out on the balcony looking down at the city. He seemed so preoccupied that she knew she’d have to open up the sliding door.

“Hey,” she said softly, stepping out onto the balcony. She put her hand on his back and rubbed up and down so she could get his attention. “Curry’s ready,” she told him. He nodded, but didn’t move. “You okay?”

“You’d come to Sweden with me, right?” he asked as he leaned on the guardrail, turning his head to look at her. “Like…when all this secret business is done, you’d come to Sweden? You’d meet my family in Stockholm and everything?”

She knew what he _really_ meant. She knew what he was _really_ getting at. What he wanted to ask was, _“We’re going to stay together after you’re gone from the Leafs, right? And because we’re still together you’ll meet my family? My sisters? My parents, more formally? What we have won’t fizzle out when you leave, right? It’ll only grow because we’ll finally be out in the open?”_ So, she nodded her head. “Of course I will,” she said. 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his body. It was chilly outside, and she appreciated his body heat. They remained silent, looking down at the literally empty streets of downtown Toronto below them. Aberdeen lived in the heart of it all and it was _dead_. Not a single soul was walking. In regular times, the street would have been filled with people walking home from the subway from work or school. People would be taking her street to a happy hour spot for drinks. Now there was nothing. Emptiness. 

“It’s so quiet,” William mumbled. “I can’t believe how quiet it is. It feels like we’re the only ones in the city.”

Sometimes, when she was so wrapped up and enamoured by him, she felt that way too. 

***

**March 17 th, 2020**

_Day 5_

Aberdeen bought it on a whim. She shouldn’t have spent money on it, really. The number of things she should have saved for, or could have spent the money on, vastly outnumbered her want for what she currently found herself in, and they were definitely much more important. She even bought a second something because she apparently had absolutely no self-control. But she found herself here anyway, standing in her room in front of her mirror with a black and nude floral bustier and thong set, anticipating Willy coming into her room. 

She leaned against her window, waiting.

She heard William open and close the washroom door. When he opened her bedroom door and saw her leaning against the window, he stopped dead in his tracks. Her gave her _several_ up-downs, shocked to see her in such a get up. “M—Minskatt?” he gulped.

“Hi Willy,” she said innocently, her lips curling into a smile. 

“What’s this?” he asked, taking a timid step into her room. 

She shrugged. “Just a little something I saw. It made me think of you.”

He licked his lips. “Made you think of me?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “Why don’t you sit down on the bed, Willy?”

He did as he was told. She sauntered over him slowly, seeing that he was inpatient. She stood in front of him first, and he took the opportunity to get a good look at her close up. The nude mesh was almost the exact same colour as her skin, and the black floral lace appliqués were a stark but welcoming contrast. The underwire and lining made the look just that much hotter. “Minskatt…” Willy mumbled, still unable to believe she was standing in front of him like this. He grabbed at her hand and intertwined their fingers as she made the move to straddle his lap. Positioned like that, her boobs were almost right in his face. “You look _incredible_.”

“Do you like it?” she asked, her voice earnest.

“I _love_ it,” he nodded his head. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t?” He craned his head up to kiss her, slipping his tongue into her mouth delicately. He wanted her to know how sexy he found her, but also how sweet she was, and how much he appreciated it. Seeing her all dressed up for him made him want to thank her all night long. He would, too, if she let him.

When they stopped kissing, she cradled his face in her hands. “The last time I tried to buy something sexy I was told I didn’t have the boobs to fill it out,” she told him.

William shook his head. His face suddenly became serious and not at all googly-eyed like before. “It seems to me like you’ve had some awful sex, minskatt.”

“Awful compared to you and what you make me feel,” she said, giggling slightly. “But not awful all around. I just had sex with some assholes.”

William craned his head up to kiss her again. “I love you,” he said, kissing his way down her neck and towards her pushed-up breasts. “You have everything for me, you know that?” he asked as he looked up at her doe-eyed. 

Aberdeen could feel his large hands on her back. His tone was serious. She nodded. “You have everything _for_ me and you’re everything _to_ me. Does that make sense?” he asked again.

She nodded again. She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged on it slightly to bring him back up so she could kill him on the lips again. She grinded down on his lap, garnering a moan from him, and his hands immediately went to grab her ass. As he bit her neck, she let out a gasp. “Will you fuck me in this, Willy?”

He didn’t answer. But he flipped her over onto the bed. 

***

**March 18 th, 2020**

_Day 6_

_“COVID-19 continues to evolve rapidly, and the Government of Canada is working around the clock to limit its spread and do everything necessary to protect the health and safety of Canadians. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced on March 18 that Canada and the United States have agreed to temporarily restrict all non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. border, which will take effect at midnight tonight. This collaborative and reciprocal measure between Canada and the United States will restrict non-essential travel across the border, including for tourism and recreation. Canadian and American citizens and permanent residents who are currently visiting each other’s country can still return home.”_

William and Aberdeen watched the news as they sat on the couch together drinking their morning coffee, Minerva curled on Aberdeen’s lap. They had been watching the daily updates from the Prime Minister at each of his press conferences. There was so much information coming at them all the time that Aberdeen didn’t know how to process it all. There was this new program to help citizens, there was that new program to help citizens, there was CERB, there was CEWS, there was CEBA. All she knew was that she had to call Brendan to see if she needed to apply to any of them – probably CERB. She didn’t know if she’d still get her paycheque because she wasn’t working.

She mentioned this to William.

“I can help you,” he said automatically. “You don’t have to apply for anything. I’ll—”

“Don’t you dare,” she shook her head. “I’m not taking a cent from you,” she said. She’d already e-transferred him her share of the grocery bill even though he hadn’t accepted the amount yet. 

“But—”

“Willy, this isn’t a discussion,” she said sternly. “Just…don’t, okay? I’m going to have to call Brendan to see.”

Their conversation was cut short by William’s phone ringing. When he took it out of his pocket to answer, Aberdeen saw Jacqueline’s name. She knew that Jacquie had flown to Chicago to be with Alex. Aberdeen also knew this latest news, about the border closing, was shocking to everyone. The second that William picked up the phone, Aberdeen heard Jacquie crying on the other end. William immediately tried to soothe her, but she couldn’t understand anything because it was all in Swedish. He got up and escaped into her bedroom, closing the door behind him. She could hear him faintly, but couldn’t understand anything. It broke her heart. 

When he came back out, almost half an hour later, the news was still on TV and William looked spent, like he never went to sleep. “Is Jacquie okay?”

“She’ll _be_ okay, I think,” he said. “She’s freaking out about the border. She thinks she won’t be able to see me and we’ll be separated and all that. She was okay before this, but now she’s just…” he shrugged his shoulders.

“And Alex?”

“Alex can only do so much,” he shook his head slightly. “All my sisters look to me during this sort of stuff. Alex is good but he’s not…you know…I know I’m not half as responsible as you or Siena but Alex is even less so. I mean there’s a reason he lives in a teammate’s basement.”

Aberdeen nodded slightly. “So what are you guys gonna do?”

William sighed, sitting down on the couch next to her. She immediately snuggled up against him. “My family has a place in Tampa. It’s nothing fancy, but Jacquie and Alex are probably going to go so they at least have some good weather.”

“And you’ll join them,” she said as more of a statement than a question.

“I’d have to see about quarantine. But yeah, probably,” William mumbled. “I don’t…I don’t want to leave you though.”

“Willy…” she cooed, cupping his face in one of her hands. “Jacquie needs you. If you need to be with your siblings, then you need to be with your siblings. They take precedent over me.”

William didn’t say another word. He just wrapped his arms around her and nestled his face into the crook of her neck, taking in her intoxicating scent and wanting to feel her body as close to his as it could be. If he was going to leave, he was going to take in as much of it as possible. 

***

“Listen…I don’t mean to be one of those people who brings up money, but, uh…do I have to apply for CERB?” she asked.

“No,” Brendan said. “I’m sure you’re high enough in the food chain that MLSE will still pay you. I’ll call to confirm. And if they don’t, _I’ll_ pay you.”

“Brendan—what—no—”

“—I’ll call right now—”

“—Brendan wait—”

_Click_.

***

**March 19 th, 2020**

Day 7

One week in quarantine. Aberdeen cracked open a bottle of wine to celebrate.

“To surviving one week of living together,” she joked as they cheered their glasses lightly. 

“Only a lifetime to go, don’t you think?” he smiled. 

***

**March 20 th, 2020**

_Day 8_

“This is it, Willy, this is the scene,” she slapped his chest lightly as they cuddled on the couch together. Hooked up to the TV via a random HDMI cable they found in a drawer, Aberdeen had put on the 2005 version of _Pride and Prejudice_ , one of her favourite books, from her laptop. She said he absolutely _needed_ to watch it. It was law. 

William was confused about the whole thing.

Why was it raining? Where was Lizzy going? Where were they? Why was there a giant Greek style building? Why was Mr. Darcy there? Why was he always so moody? From what he could understand, Darcy was a bit rude. Lizzy was cute. Jane was a smoke show, until he realized she was the same actress from _Gone Girl_ and then all he wanted to do was warn… _Bingley? Dinley_?...that she was a crazy psycho. He looked between Aberdeen and the screen – Aberdeen’s eyes were wide as she watched. 

_“Miss Bennet. I have struggled in vain but I can bear it no longer. The past months have been torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you…I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgement, my family’s expectation, the inferiority of your birth, my rank and circumstance…all those things. But I’m willing to put them aside and ask you to end my agony.”_

_“I don’t understand—”_

_“I love you. Most ardently. Please do me the honour of accepting my hand.”_

Aberdeen audibly swooned. “Most _ardently_!” she repeated, clutching at her heart. “Most _ardently_ , Willy! Do you love me most ardently?”

“ _Hooooold_ on a second,” he said, pausing the movie. “Didn’t he just offend her? Like, he just said she was inferior or whatever. And he called himself better than her!”

“Well, yes…”

“Who does that? And he just proposed marriage?! _Who is this guy_?!” William demanded.

“Just keep watching!”

“He’s an asshole, minskatt!”

“ _Keep watching_!” she grabbed the remote control from him.

“Wait,” he said, putting his hand over hers before she could press play. “What does ardently mean?”

“Like…passionate. Intensely devoted. Enthusiastically,” she explained. 

“Then yes,” he craned his neck to kiss her cheek. “I love you _most ardently_ , minskatt.”

***

**March 21 st, 2020 **

_Day 9_

“Let me put my ass up,” Aberdeen huffed as she felt William’s hands grab at her hips through the fabric of her black negligee. As he rushed to push the satin fabric over her hips, she flipped her hair to look behind her, where he was, his chest heaving from arousal and from what they’d already done. She could feel his cock tease her entrance and her eyes fluttered. “S’at okay?” she asked, backing up into him, desperate to feel his cock inside of her. Her breasts were already exposed through the negligee, which was pushed down earlier thanks to Willy.

“Yeah, Aberdeen. Fuck,” he said as he reached down to grab his cock, guiding it inside her. 

She cried out as he entered her fully; she was so slick and her body felt so hot, and she knew they wouldn’t be taking it slow anyway. “Grab my neck, Willy.”

If she could see him, she would have seen his pupils dilate. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” she nodded quickly. She felt his hand tickle her shoulder before sliding around to her neck, and she guided it up slightly to underneath her chin. He began moving in and out of her, and Aberdeen pushed herself up with his hands and arched her back, crying out in pleasure. He began pounding into her, cry after moan after whimper escaping her mouth as she felt him crash into her over and over and over. Her body felt like it was on fire, and she was sure she was getting louder with each passing minute. William’s grunts and expletives made it that much hotter, knowing that he was deriving just as much pleasure from this as she was. 

They fucked in that position for a while, until Aberdeen’s cries sounded cracked and heaves were heavy, but she knew she wasn’t done. She knew she wanted more. Eventually, she felt William lean forward, pulling her closer to him and _really_ arching her back as his cock was still in her. He placed big, sloppy kisses all over her face, and her forehead, and her lips, making sure to catch his breath. He was still thrusting in and out of her, but slower. “D’you like me fucking you like this?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded slightly. “Willy?”

“Aberdeen?”

She made sure she was making as much eye contact with him as possible. “Can you hold me down and fuck me hard?” she asked, her voice so sickeningly sweet.

William felt like he was about to go crazy. He grabbed a tuft of her hair and pushed her down onto the bed, her ass still up for him. He grabbed on to the small of her back and pushed down, _hard_ , and began fucking her, _hard_ , just like she wanted. And she got loud. _Very_ loud. She was vocalizing her pleasure as he fucked her hard and deep, and he could swear his eyes rolled to the back of his head when she started screaming his name, mixing it with loud moans and cries and swears. 

“Keep fucking me,” she begged, the sound of her voice strained and muffled in the sheets of her bed. She couldn’t get enough. They’d been at it for a while and had done it so many times in quarantine, and she _still_ couldn’t get enough. Neither could he. “Keep fucking me Willy.”

It was rough, and it was visceral, and it was everything Aberdeen could have wanted, and everything William wanted to give her. He continued to fuck her, hard, and she continued to be loud, louder than he’d ever heard her. And when he felt himself starting to lose control, she lost control as well. They came together, their orgasms reaching every inch of their bodies, shaking until they collapsed onto the bed. 

***

“You don’t think I’m weird, do you?”

William’s head whipped over to look at Aberdeen. It was later now – they’d caught their breaths, they’d disposed of the condom, they’d regained their composure after having fucked each other’s brains out – but Aberdeen was still in her negligee, and it was so fucking sexy, and William felt like he could go again at any moment. He furrowed his eyes at her question, wondering where she would even get that idea. “Why would I think that?”

“For what I like,” she elaborated. “For asking you to, like, hold me down. Or to like, be a bit rougher with me. To try new things because I haven’t before. Like…you don’t think it’s weird, right?”

“Of course not, minskatt,” he said, turning over onto his side. “Why would you even _think_ that?” he asked. He could see her hesitate. In the silence, it hit him. He got the hint. “Don’t tell me.”

“I never…no,” she said, reaching out to him. “I was always ashamed to. But with you I don’t feel ashamed.”

“Good.”

“But you don’t think I’m weird,” her tone made it sound more like a statement than a question for reassurance.

“No, Aberdeen. I love that you feel comfortable doing this with me. I love helping you find out what you like. And I don’t think you’re weird for it.” He moved so he could give her a tender kiss. “Did you like what we just did?”

She nodded her head. “A lot. But I also like it when you make love to me, too. I just like the way you make me feel always. I like _everything_ with you, Willy.”

William smiled. “Then we’re going to keep doing both, minskatt.”

***

**March 22 nd, 2020 **

_Day 10_

“I’ve never done this before, either,” Aberdeen mumbled as she felt the hot water from the shower against the backs of her legs. She was sure the mirror in the bathroom had already fogged up – hastened, probably, by how long she and Willy had been making out and breathing heavily through all their kisses. She knew they’d be able to fog up car windows given the chance. Inside her washroom would be no different.

“That’s okay. You’re lucky you’ve got me,” William mumbled back. “D’you want it from behind?”

Aberdeen shook her head. “I want to look into your eyes when you fuck me.”

William grabbed at the backs of her thighs and picked her up in one swift movement, backing her up against the cold tile. She helped him guide his dick inside of her, and he didn’t wait. He started thrusting in and out of her almost instantly, feeling her fingernails digging into the skin between his shoulder blades. “Oh, Willy…” she sighed out.

“Feel good?”

She nodded, grabbing a fistful of his hair. “Fuck me, Willy. _Fuck me_.”

***

**March 23 rd, 2020**

_Day 11_

“ _You made a wish at 11:11, I held your hips at 12:34! There was a kiss just waiting to happen, a cab was calling outside the door_!” Aberdeen sang along to the lyrics to Arkells’s song _11:11_ as she danced around the condo. She’d been dancing for almost half an hour now, playing song after song and singing along with each of them. Willy was dancing with her, of course – he had no other choice – and he’d try to sing along too at the songs he knew; but mostly, he was dancing with Aberdeen. Twirling her around; dipping her; mimicking her stupid dance moves and doing his own that didn’t fit at all with the beat or tempo of the songs. 

“ _Ooooh, oh oh oh, I knew from the beginning_ ,” Aberdeen continued, pointing at Willy.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. He pulled her towards his chest. “ _Ooooh, oh oh oh, it was you from the beginning_ ,” he sang along. Aberdeen smiled wide, leaning up to give him a big kiss on the cheek. “You really like the Arkells, don’t you minskatt?” he asked.

“Willy, I _love_ the Arkells. I was supposed to go to their Rally in Hamilton this year. I can’t even _count_ how many times I’ve gone to see them live,” she said as the end of the song continued to play.

“You must have gone nuts when Kyle brought him on the mentor’s trip.”

“I was freaking out but it was all internal. Like we spoke and I told him how much I loved the band and how special they were to me, and I was very civil, but inside I was like a squirrel on hallucinogens.”

He snorted with laughter. “I’m going to have to add them to your playlist,” he mentioned. “Maybe even tell Max about your little obsession.”

“I’ll kill you if you do,” she deadpanned.

“Maybe I’ll get him to write a song about you,” he pressed.

“William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius,” she used his full name for serious effect. “There is _no_ way Max Kerman is ever going to write a song about little old me, and I doubt they take requests.”

William smiled. “It’s a nice pipe dream though, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is. It’s too bad it’ll stay a pipe dream.”

***

**March 24 th, 2020**

_Day 12_

“I have to leave for Tampa.”

Aberdeen knew it was coming. Jacqueline and Alex had called earlier in the day, practically begging him to go. She was pretty sure Jacquie was crying again, too. He hadn’t been the same since the phone call, stuck on his phone and always with his brows furrowed, and now she knew why. She nodded her head. “I know you do. It’s okay.”

“Jacquie really needs me,” he said, as if he had to give a reason to justify the situation.

Aberdeen had her chest against his back as they lay in the tub; his arms were wrapped around her lazily and she had leaned her head back on his chest as they soaked in the water. Up until then everything had been so quiet. They were just revelling the hot bath and the feeling of their bodies together so intimately. “You don’t need a reason to go see your family, Willy.”

“I don’t want to leave you, though,” he mumbled.

Aberdeen shook her head. “If it’s for family, Willy, it’s not like I’m going to get mad. You know I’d do the same thing.”

“But I don’t know how long it’s for. And being with you the last twelve days makes it so much harder, minskatt,” he kissed her temple. 

“How long will you be gone for?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “I don’t know and it’s killing me.”

Aberdeen tried not to cry. She tried not to think about being apart from him for that long when she’d seen him almost every day of her life since September and had traveled with him to every corner of America and Canada with him since then too. “You have to go until Jacquie’s okay.”

“Minskatt—”

“Willy, you _have_ to,” she interrupted.

“But I don’t know if I can be apart from you for that long,” he continued, moving his arms so that his hands caressed her body under the water. Even with the heat it still sent shivers down her spine. 

“You can. You know you can when you’re with your family,” she said. She paused for a moment, thinking of how she could make it better for him, for her. “You can call me every night. We can FaceTime. We can Zoom or whatever that new thing is. We’re still in the same time zone.”

“It won’t be the same,” he complained. She could feel his lips dragging along their skin. “I’m gonna talk to you for _hours_ but it won’t be the same.”

“I know it won’t. But it will be the best we can do until you’re back. But you need to be with your siblings right now, Willy. We both know that. I can’t keep you from Jacquie. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself and she would never forgive me if I kept you from her.”

He nodded slightly. He knew she was right. He needed to be with his family. They needed him. His _sister_ needed him. And he needed to be there for her. He needed to take care of her like he always did growing up. That’s why they always looked to him, not Alex. It was always Willy. He liked it that way, because he loved his family so much. But now, with Aberdeen in the picture, things were different. Much different.

He knew he had to accept it. He knew he had to go. But that didn’t make it easy. And after their time together in the last twelve days, and what they got up to, it _really_ wouldn’t be easy. “It’s going to be hard for me, minskatt. Knowing you’re here all alone. Nobody here to touch you.”

She felt his hand snake down her body. Her breath hitched in her throat and she felt his other hand grab her breast. “Willy…” she warned.

“Nobody to touch you like I can,” his words were husky. Her leg jerked slightly and the water in the tub splashed against the sides as she felt his fingers play between her folds. 

“Willy…” she tried to warn again, but her eyes were always closed and her teeth were already biting her bottom lip. “Willy—”

“Who’s gonna touch you like this when I’m gone?” he asked.

“Nobody,” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “Nobody but you.”

He slipped two fingers into her easily, and began moving them in and out, curling them, doing what he knew to do to get her off. His lips were still at her neck, biting and kissing her. Her breathing got heavier and heavier. Eventually, one of her arms came up and rested on his head, as if to keep it down on her neck. “Nobody touches me like you do, Willy,” she huffed out. 

At that, he groped her breasts harder. He quickened his movements. Aberdeen’s sighs and moans filled the silence of the room the entire time he fingered her – they were all he wanted to hear in those moments. When she squeezed her thighs together slightly, he knew she was close. “Willy?”

“Mmm?”

She craned her neck back, overextending it slightly so she could plant a wet, sloppy kiss on his lips. He reciprocated willingly, biting down on her bottom lip and dragging it back with him. “I love your fingers inside of me, Willy,” she mewled out.

“Me too.”

“Make me cum, baby.”

Her wish was his command. He curled his fingers inside of her, making her cry out in pleasure, and kept repeating his movements until she was a squirming mess, the water from the bathtub splashing around as her body shook. William placed another kiss on her lips as she came down from her high. He continued to kiss along the length of her neck and shoulder. “I’m going to miss that,” he whispered. “I love you, minskatt.”

“I love you too. I’m gonna miss you so much.”

***

**March 25 th, 2020**

_Day 13_

“This is the longest March Break ever!” Camden expressed into the phone. Aberdeen had been talking to him for a while now. He’d called her to tell her he missed her – she never thought she’d live to see the day. He also called her to tell her she’d been in quarantine for 312 hours, or 18,720 minutes, or 67392000. He’d calculated it all by himself and was proud of that fact. 

“Yeah right. I bet mom’s been making you work,” she said. She saw William smirk from across the couch, able to hear Camden’s young and loud voice through the phone. “She probably expressed shipped the curriculum books for you if she didn’t already have them herself.”

“She _did_ ,” he sounded upset. Aberdeen snorted. “Mom being a teacher is making this less fun than it can be.”

“Don’t say that, Cam. There’s a million kids who would kill for their mom to be a teacher.”

“Can I ask you a question?” he changed the subject immediately.

“Of course.”

“What are the Leafs doing right now?”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, most of them are quarantining like I am since we came into contact with the staff from Nashville,” she said. 

“What’s Mitch Marner doing?”

“He’s quarantining with his dog Zeus.”

“What about Auston Matthews?”

“He’s quarantining, Cam. But I think he’s gonna go back to Arizona when he’s done.”

“What about William Nylander? Will he go back to Sweden?”

“Quarantining,” she and William made eye contact with each other. “And no, he won’t go back to Sweden.”

“Do you think that if he’s still here for Easter he would come over again? We can play basketball or he can help me with some cool street hockey moves if he comes.”

Aberdeen watched as William’s face softened. She couldn’t help the feeling of her chest tightening at the question. “I don’t know, Cam.”

“Can you call him and ask?”

***

**March 26 th, 2020**

_Day 14_

After William and Aberdeen made love all morning, William had gone back to his place to pack. He promised to return to Aberdeen before he left for the airport. When he did return, it finally hit Aberdeen that he was leaving.

So she got emotional. But she tried not to show it. 

He obviously didn’t bring his suitcase up with him, but he had a shirt in his hands as he walked through her door again. It was the first time he’d been out in fourteen days, and it was extremely eerie. He didn’t want to think about it. He also didn’t want to think about what the airport would be like. Aberdeen was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed against her chest. 

When Aberdeen saw the shirt in his hands, she bit her lip. “Don’t make this harder, Willy,” her voice was soft, already cracking.

He shook his head. He had to do this. “For you,” he said, handing her the shirt.

It _already_ smelled like him and she wasn’t even wearing the thing. When she unfolded it, she saw the word “spaghetti” on the chest in the Supreme style. She couldn’t help but smile. Of course William Nylander would have a shirt saying spaghetti on it. “You give me a t-shirt and it says spaghetti?”

“Spaghetti reminds me of you.”

“Why?”

“ _Think_ , minskatt.”

She tried to think about it. At the beginning, she couldn’t think why. But then it hit her: the night after everything happened with Ethan. William showing up with Sugo spaghetti and meatballs. Them watching the Real Housewives and cuddling on her bed as she ate the entire plate. Sleeping together in her bed. It was the turning point in their relationship, when she _really_ thought about it. That night changed everything.

So she began tearing up. 

“Nooooo no no minskatt,” he cooed, wrapping her in his arms as he leaned down to kiss her. “Don’t cry, minskatt. Please don’t cry,” he could feel her tears against his cheeks. 

“W—Willy—” she hiccupped out, but was silenced by another kiss. “Willy, this is going to be so _hard_.”

“I know it will, _I know_. But I promise I’ll be back soon. We’re going to talk every night,” he kept promising, trying to soothe her. “Don’t cry, minskatt. I hate to see you cry,” he said, now tearing up himself, the tears falling down his own face. “Please, minskatt. _Please_. Don’t cry.”

“Please don’t go out too much. Please stay safe,” she mumbled, holding his face in her hands and kissing him after every request. “I want you back home to me safe and healthy.”

“I’ll be safe, I promise.”

“And healthy.”

“And healthy.”

“And wear a face covering or a mask or whatever the public health officials say,” she cautioned. “Listen to what they say.”

“I will.”

She kissed him again. And again. And again. And they kept kissing in her kitchen, kept crying in her kitchen, kept soothing themselves in her kitchen knowing they’d be separated for weeks. They waited until the absolute last minute. “I love you so much Willy,” she mumbled against his lips.

“I love you too, minskatt. More than anything.”


	29. Chapter 28

**April 12 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was with her family. 

It was Easter, and they were celebrating together, thankfully. She was more grateful for it now more than ever, considering the state of the world. She had stayed camped out at her apartment for the last two weeks with Kasha, who had come back from Evan’s place and was none the wiser about William being there for the fourteen days prior. It made the most sense to Aberdeen because she still had to pay rent, and because she didn’t want to put Minerva through a stressful move _again_. So, she stayed put. Plus, now that she was living on her own, she’d know she’d go crazy if she lived with her family again. Especially with Siena back from Ottawa because of classes in some weird state of limbo. The sisters were thankful that Camden was independent enough to be able to learn on his own and not be constantly watched – and so was Orla. She had enough to tackle, having her grade one class turned into online learning until further notice. Everything was messy, and unprecedented, and weird, and not understandable, and weird, and chaotic, and confused. 

But Aberdeen had her family. And Aberdeen had Willy. 

They’d kept their promise about calling each other every night. Aberdeen would lay in bed and put in her headphones (so Kasha wouldn’t hear) and they’d FaceTime each other for a majority of the night, alone in their rooms, talking about anything and everything. Sometimes they’d fall asleep talking, and their phones wouldn’t shut off, and Aberdeen would wake up an hour later and see the brightness of her phone screen still lit up, and she’d see William sleeping on the other end, his face so peaceful yet so burdened with responsibility of caring for his siblings while his parents and other siblings were eight hours and an entire continent and ocean away, and she wouldn’t have the heart to end the call. 

Things were fine in Tampa, from what he told her. Jacquie had calmed down considerably. Alex was…Alex – always trying to make jokes and make light of the situation. They barely left their house, but because there were three of them there, it wasn’t too bad. There were a lot of board games played, a lot of Netflix series watched. From across the countries, Aberdeen and William were watching _Tiger King_ together. She didn’t think she’d watched anything as horrifyingly crazy. William would crack jokes about her putting him in a meat grinder and feeding him to tigers. She could only giggle. 

She knew that today the siblings were going to go for their first “outing”, just to get some sunshine, along the Courtney Campbell Bridge. She hoped the weather would cooperate for them. And once they were all home, and once Aberdeen was back at her place, the routine would begin, and she’d crawl into bed, and she’d FaceTime Willy to hear all about it.

Good Friday meant they had fish. Easter Monday meant Orla’s roasted lamb and much of the same sides that were prepared on Christmas. They’d still video chat with their grandparents, Camden would still play hockey in the driveway, and Aberdeen and Siena would go down into the basement and watch episodes of _Brooklyn 9-9_ or another show. Routines, in a time of a global pandemic that brought so much uncertainty, were accepted with warmth. Even for just a day, life was going to feel normal. Orla and Mirza had even gone so far as to get their kids chocolate eggs. It didn’t matter that the youngest didn’t believe in the Easter Bunny anymore or that the girls were in their early twenties – the gesture went farther than that. They were all together again, even if it was just for the day. 

When Orla placed the roasted lamb at the centre of the table, asking Mirza for his plate first, Aberdeen took a giant whiff of the smell and immediately felt more relaxed. She filled her plate with carrots and asparagus and Yorkshire pudding before her mom piled on the lamb and sauce. 

“So where’s our good friend William these days?” Orla asked as she finished serving everybody and sat down in her seat. She immediately grabbed her knife and fork to dig in. “He didn’t want to come for Easter?”

“I’m sure he wanted to come and have your lamb, darling,” Mirza said.

“He’s in Tampa,” Aberdeen answered, smiling slightly at her parents’ interaction. “His brother and his sister went there at the start of lockdown, and so when he was good to go too, he went.”

“William quarantined for fourteen days too?” Mirza asked. “Why?”

“He spoke to one of his Swedish friends on the Predators so he had to. I bet the whole team did,” she explained. 

“Did you guys quarantine together?” Siena asked.

Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Hah. Good one.”

“William has sisters?” Camden asked.

“He has _three_ ,” Aberdeen smiled. “All of them are younger than him.”

“I can’t imagine three of you and Siena.”

Everybody at the table snorted. “We can’t imagine three of you either, buddy,” Siena quipped back.

Camden smiled, then focused his attention back to Aberdeen. “So what’s he doing in Tampa?”

“I don’t know. Hanging out with his brother and sister.”

“Why don’t you call him and ask?”

“ _Camden_ ,” Aberdeen said, “I can’t just _call_ William Nylander and ask him what he’s doing so my little brother can know,” her tone made it seem like it was the most out-of-this-world idea. But it was a total lie. William would be at her beck and call – he always was. If she called him right now, he’d answer. If she called him and asked him what he was doing because Camden wanted to know, he’d answer her and tell Camden what he was doing. He was just like that.

“I think the most important question we should be asking about William, considering the circumstances in our world right now, is whether or not he’s _safe_ in Tampa,” Mirza interjected. He stuffed a roasted potato into his mouth. “Is he safe?”

Aberdeen nodded. “He’s safe. And he’s with his family, just like we are.”

***

Aberdeen could hear the video game sounds coming out of Camden’s Nintendo Switch as she lay in his bed, cuddled up to him while browsing through her phone. It was later – later than she thought – but she wanted to stay at home for a little while longer, at least until Camden went to bed, because, well…it was a global pandemic and she wanted to see her family. Her dad would drive her home eventually – she knew that. But she wanted to spend some time with her younger brother, even if it was just cuddling with him while he played video games and she browsed Instagram. Sometimes physical contact was the best contact; sometimes nothing needed to be said. 

“Hey Aberdeen?” he whispered.

Apparently _something_ needed to be said.

She looked over at him and saw that he’d placed the Switch face-down on his chest. He was looking up at her. “Yeah bud?”

“Are you scared about the pandemic?”

Aberdeen softened immediately. God, she wished he could stay this age forever. She didn’t want him to grow up and turn into a moody teenager. She wanted him like this forever: young and innocent and the little boy who cries over meeting Kyle Lowry. “Of course I’m scared,” she admitted. “Are _you_ scared?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Mom’s home so it’s okay but I’m scared about dad. What if the virus is on one of the envelopes or packages he has to deliver? Or, like, on a mailbox?”

Aberdeen cuddled closer to her brother, if only to provide physical assurance. There were so many unknowns about the virus. It didn’t help that there was wall-to-wall coverage of it on the TV all the time. “I don’t think the virus works that way, Cam. I think—”

“But did you see how fast it spread in New York City? Mom and dad were watching the news one night and the number of people who have it is _so high_ ,” he was so concerned. 

“I think dad’s work put a lot of, like, safety rules in place so nobody will catch it,” she tried to calm his nerves. “Dad wouldn’t be working if it wasn’t safe. Look at _my_ work. They’re not letting me work because it’s not safe.”

Camden considered his sister’s words. She could practically see the gears shifting in his mind. “I guess so,” he acquiesced. “But I still think about dad a lot when he’s working. Mom’s even praying a lot more now.”

“I figured she would be,” Aberdeen nodded. “Listen Cam, I’m scared about everything too, but the reason why I’m not worried about dad is because dad’s a really smart guy, and we’re a family that listens to doctors and public health experts who are trying to make everything better,” she explained. 

“And don’t forget the epado…epid…”

“Epidemiologists,” she smiled, saying the word for him. “Them too. I’m listening to them.”

“Mom thinks I won’t go back to school this year at all. She told me I’m gonna help her teacher her first graders,” he giggled. “Imagine that! At least I don’t have to take EQAO this year.”

“Lucky you,” Aberdeen wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Hey, if I order some masks, what designs do you want on them?”

“Raptors and Leafs, _obviously_ ,” he smiled. “Do you even need to ask?”

“Well exc _uuuuuu_ se me—”

Their conversation was interrupted by Aberdeen’s phone ringing from its place on her chest. When she flipped it over to see who would be calling her at this hour, she should have known better than to wonder. It was William. It would only _be_ William. But he was requesting to FaceTime her. Just as she was about to reject the call, she heard Cam gasp. “Is that William Nylander? He’s calling you?!”

She gulped. “Cam—”

“Answer it! _Answer it_!”

She swiped her screen. She prayed to every saint that he wasn’t already topless. When he finally appeared on the screen, he was wearing an oversized t-shirt. She’d have to pray the rosary tonight. “Hi William,” she greeted formally – no “Hi baby” or “Heeeeeyyyyy” like she usually did, hoping he’d get the hint. 

“Hello…” he answered back awkwardly, not realizing immediately why she was being so formal. When she tilted the camera and he saw Camden lying beside her smiling from ear-to-ear, waving frantically at him, he understood. “Heeeyyy Camden,” he greeted, waving back. 

“Hi William!” Camden said. “How are you?”

“I’m good, buddy, how are you?”

“I’m okay,” he shrugged. “Aberdeen told me you’re in Tampa Bay with your brother and sisters.”

“I am,” William nodded, shooting the quickest of looks to Aberdeen. “She texted me to let me know you guys were apparently missing me today at lunch. I already know my lunch wasn’t as great as the one your mom made.”

Camden giggled slightly. “It definitely wasn’t. Mom made lamb today. Hey William?”

“Yeah bud?”

“Aberdeen told me you have _three_ younger sisters. I have two older ones. _How_ do you do it?!”

William burst out laughing, as did Aberdeen. “Ooooooh Camden. If I knew, I’d tell you.”

***

“How are you, minskatt?” William asked as he watched Aberdeen get into her bed. He’d called her again when he knew it was safe – when she was back at her apartment after her dad drove her home. He hadn’t expected Camden to be on his earlier phone call, of course, but they’d spoken for about ten minutes until Camden was satisfied.

Aberdeen took a deep breath. She was going for it. “Jag mår bra hur mår du?” she replied in near-perfect Swedish.

She watched as William’s eyes bulged out dramatically and smiled mischievously. “ _Minskatt_?!” he gasped dramatically, even going so far as to sit up in bed. She could only giggle. “Minskatt where did _that_ come from? Are you…”

“Mhm,” she nodded before he could finish his thought. “I ordered a bunch of Swedish language books and I’ve been learning since you left. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Min _skaaaaatt_ ,” he repeated, except this time in a more playful accusatory tone. “What have you taught yourself?”

“Just the most basic stuff,” she said. “Hello, how are you, where is the washroom, that kind of stuff. Verb conjugations are going to come later. And…” she trailed off.

“And?”

She smiled again. “Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker,” she whispered. 

It was the most amazing thing William had ever heard. It didn’t matter that the pronunciation was a bit off – it was incredible. _Incredible_. So incredible that he couldn’t handle it. He smiled from ear to ear and buried his face in his pillow as he giggled. “Minskatt…you have no idea how beautiful that sounds,” he said. “Like…you honestly have no idea.”

“Do you like the surprise?” she asked.

“I fucking _love_ it,” he said. “Minskatt, you’re too good to me.”

“I want to learn more. I want…I want to like, become as fluent as I can so that I can speak to your family in Swedish. You know, when we’re in Sweden. Whenever that is.”

William’s heart practically burst in his chest. If it was possible, he would have spontaneously self-combusted right then and there at her words and their sweetness. “If I could take you to Sweden tomorrow, I would. _God_ minskatt, I miss you so much. I’m dying over here.”

“Me too.”

“I want to touch you so bad,” he admitted. “I was dreaming about it the other night but then I woke up, and I couldn’t fall back asleep again.”

Her heart fluttered. She’d dreamt about the same thing too last night and woke up sweating. She’d never been this sexually frustrated before, even in her single days. To think of the time they spent together during quarantine, only to have him leave and be unable to do those same thing…it was a lot to miss. A lot to look forward too, as well, once they reunited. But for now, she could only miss it. “How were you touching me?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

She could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. “You know how,” he whispered.

“Tell me,” she said, slipping her hand underneath the covers. She snaked it down her body and underneath her pajama pants and underwear. “Tell me how you were touching me.”

William watched as he watched her one arm move and her hand disappear. He gulped at the sight of it. “I was touching your pussy,” he huffed, slipping his own hand under the covers. 

“Was it wet for you?”

“Of course,” he said, grabbing hold of his cock, stroking it almost immediately. “Is…is it wet right now?”

“Getting there,” she nodded. 

“Are you touching yourself?”

“Mhm,” she said, her eyes drooping slightly. She waited a few moments as she continued to touch herself before she finally continued. “Tell me how you were touching me. What were you doing?”

“I was fingering you. And my thumb was rubbing your clit…how you like it,” his voice was low.

“Mmmmm,” Aberdeen hummed, mimicking what he was saying and doing it to herself as best she could. She’d done it for so long as a single woman that she’d practically mastered it, but ever since she’d been with William, he’d mastered it in the short amount of time too. There was nothing he did that _didn’t_ turn her on. “I had your cock down my throat in my dream last night.”

“Oh fuck,” William huffed, not expecting that _at all_. He thought, as always, this was gonna be about pleasuring her by some good old-fashioned phone sex. He didn’t think she’d go so far as to include him too, considering how new the experience was. But they were doing this. “Was it deep in your throat?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded. “It hit the back.”

“ _Fuuuuuck_ Aberdeen,” he huffed. He imagined the feeling and it sent shivers down his spine. He got hard almost immediately at the thought as he kept stroking himself, but ever since he’d been with Aberdeen, his own hand didn’t fucking cut it anymore. She gave him the best handjobs, the best blowjobs… _everything_ she did was the best to him. 

“Remember when I sucked you off in the backseat of your car?” she asked, her voice sugary sweet. William nodded his head quickly. “Remember how you came in my mouth? You tasted sooooo good, Willy.”

“Ab—Aberdeen—fuck, don’t—”

“I can’t wait to taste it again.”

William’s eyes rolled back. “I can’t wait to taste your pussy again.”

“When you come back home, I want you to fuck me like you did during quarantine,” she continued. “Fuck me hard how I like it, Willy.”

“Ab—are you—look at me when you cum, Aberdeen,” William demanded. He could tell by just a quick look that she was almost there. “ _Look at me when you cum_.”

“Are you close?”

“Y—Yeah.”

“Cum with me, Willy. Think of my tight pussy when you cum.”

She could see his face contort slightly as he closed his eyes. She bit her bottom lip and tried to suppress a loud moan, writhing in her bed and squeezing her legs together as her orgasm took over her body. She heard William moan too, low and guttural, and when she saw his chest heaving just as much as hers was, she knew he came too. 

As her breathing steadied out, Aberdeen couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “I can’t believe we just did that,” she admitted. “That was—”

“That was really hot,” William finished her sentence, albeit more bluntly than her tone. “That was—we did _that_ quick but _God_ it was hot.”

“Yeah,” Aberdeen nodded. “Nothing compares to the real thing though.”

“No, it doesn’t,” William agreed. “The second I land in Toronto – finish quarantine – _whatever_ , I’m taking you to my place and I’m fucking you senseless.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but giggle and smirk at his words. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

***

**April 14 th, 2020**

“ _What_ did you and your brother do that day?” Aberdeen practically screamed into the phone as the video played on what seemed like an infinite loop on her laptop. “Seriously. _What_ made you think to film that?”

“We practiced for a long time!”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure the Toosie Slide dance took _a lot_ of practice.”

“It _does_!”

“Your poor sister.”

“She lived.”

Aberdeen snorted. “And what are those _shorts_ , William?!”

“Um, excuse me? Are you making fun of my shorts?” he giggled. “I thought you’d like them, seeing as they show off my thighs. We both know how much you like my thighs…”

“Stop it.”

“No.”

***

**April 20 th, 2020**

“Did you get some sun today?” Aberdeen asked sarcastically, seeing William on FaceTime looking redder than a tomato. 

“You’re funny.”

“Have you heard of sunscreen?”

“I wore sunscreen,” he grumbled.

“ _Sure you did_.”

***

**April 25 th, 2020**

“Have you been writing a lot, minskatt?” William asked as he watched Aberdeen concentrating on her screen, hearing her furious typing through the microphone. They were on the type of call where the participants just went about their business, connected through the screen, watching the other do their work while also doing their own. William was just being dumb and scrolling through golfing websites, but Aberdeen was actually being productive.

“Mhm,” she nodded. “I just…well, you saw how much I wrote when we were together too. In between the sex,” she chuckled slightly. “But after you left, there was just this _huge_ burst of inspiration and energy.”

“I think it was the sex,” William deadpanned, causing Aberdeen to laugh. “The sex inspired you.”

“Well you definitely gave me the energy,” she smiled. “Too bad what I’m writing isn’t a sex diary or something.”

“What are you writing, minskatt?” he asked, genuinely interested.

“Um…” Aberdeen began, trying to formulate what she was writing into words. “It’s about a girl. Well, a group of girls.”

“You mean like that TV show _Girls_?”

“Better,” Aberdeen huffed. “Lena Dunham is awful.”

William smiled. “So a group of girls?”

“A group of girls and their relationships with each other. And the _expectations_ they have for each other that sometimes may not work in their favour.”

“So is it semi-autobiographical?”

Aberdeen side-eyed him. _Everything_ in writing was at least somewhat autobiographical. But he didn’t need to know that. “Maybe.”

***

**April 27 th, 2020**

“I miss you so much,” William mumbled, his voice sleepy.

“I miss you too,” Aberdeen said, equally as tired. “I can’t wait for you to hold me. I can’t wait to just cuddle.”

“Me too.”

***

**April 30 th, 2020**

For the first time in weeks, Aberdeen wasn’t doomscrolling about COVID-19. She was doomscrolling about William. 

It started innocently enough, by Aberdeen reminiscing on the first time he drove her home from the airport and he spoke about his contract negotiations and how they turned a lot of people sour on him. She believed him right then and there, but she didn’t go looking. Now, with nothing to do and a curious mind, she went looking.

And she hated what she found.

Entire articles, practically one written every week, about his trade value. Those same articles devalkuing him as a player and downplaying his role on the team as a top-six forward. Panels of analysts and experts demanding that the Leafs trade him. Entire Twitter accounts dedicated to blasting every single little thing he did on the ice. Men with nothing better to do than to obsess over him and call him every name in the book. 

And then there was the video from Tim & Sid, the popular sports radio duo in Toronto that Aberdeen listened to for fifteen minutes once, but couldn’t get past Sid Seixeiro’s dumbass opinions. In the video she watched, he took a less than 10-second clip of something William had said in a post-game interview during a loss against the Panthers and asked, indignantly, “What the hell is wrong with him?” He then proceeded to go on a five-minute rant about the entire locker room having an attitude problem, how Willy had an attitude problem, how he didn’t care about the team…and people believed it. She knew it. People gobbled it up. It was their serotonin while they hated him and called him a pussy on the internet and threw glasses at him in bars while drunk. She felt sick to her stomach that these people felt this way about him. 

She’d been crying for a while before she picked up her phone to call him. Her hands were shaking as she dialled his number, waiting for him to answer. “Hi minskatt,” he cooed after the fourth ring.

“Willy,” she greeted, her voice shaky.

The last time she’d called him in such a state, she was being followed from her apartment. William’s mind immediately went into overdrive. “Minskatt? What’s wrong?”

“Willy you know I love you, right?”

He softened slightly. “Of course I do. Why would you—”

“—I love you every way you are—"

“—Aberdeen—”

“—And I know you’re a good person and I love you so much, more than anything—”

“—Aberdeen—Aberdeen—stop. What is this about?”

She took a quick breath. “What everyone says about you, Willy. They’re horrible. _Horrible_. I was reading and I was watching these videos and they’re just _awful_ to you and—”

“Aberdeen, I _told_ you not to watch those videos,” he said.

“Willy, _please_ ,” she begged. “ _How_ could they say those things about you and not even know you? How can they still be so bitter after your contract negotiations?!”

“Aberdeen—”

“I love you, Willy. I love you every way you are,” she repeated. “I don’t care what anybody has to say about you. I love you. _I love you_.”

“I love you too, Aberdeen,” he said calmly but fiercely. “Aberdeen, you can’t listen to them. I learned how to tune them out a long time ago. Even if I did…I don’t care what they say about me. I know who I am, Aberdeen. I know the truth, and they don’t. And you do too.”

“I do, but I just…they’re so _awful_ , Willy. I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“Like I said…I know my truth. My family knows. And you do. The most important people in my life know the truth and that’s all that matters. I don’t give a fuck about what they think of me,” he said. 

Aberdeen stayed silent. She knew she was overreacting, but damnit, she needed to overreact. She’d been a part of the hockey world now for what felt like a century, and if what she had with William was going to last, it would be a major part of her life for years to come. She needed to learn to roll with the punches. But at the same time, she felt like if those punches were unjustified, then _she_ was justified in being upset about them and wanting to speak out. “I just love you so much,” she whispered, her voice much calmer now but still a bit shaky. “God, I’m such a horrible girlfriend. I’m calling you crying about the stupid Toronto media on the night before your birthday—”

“It’s okay, minskatt,” he interrupted. “I would rather you call me then cry alone. Besides, my birthday isn’t going to be special because you won’t be here.”

“Willy, don’t say that.”

“I mean it,” he replied. “I wish I could spend it with you. Fuck, I wish I could fly you down to Florida on a private fucking plane just so I could spend time with you. I’d kill someone just to hold your hand right now.”

Her heart fluttered. “I wish you’d come back to Toronto,” she whispered. “When you get back, Willy…I’m gonna let you hold my hand so hard.”

They both snorted. “I’ll be eagerly awaiting my gift, by the way,” he said, knowing that whatever she had in store for him for his birthday would be waiting for him when he got back to Toronto. She made it that way – she promised, and he’d accepted. He was dying in anticipation, but he’d accepted. 

“Want a little piece of it now?” she asked.

He smiled. “You know I do.”

***

**May 1 st, 2020**

_Happy birthday_

_I know you’re spending the day with your brother so it’s okay if you don’t text back_

_I just want you to know how much I love you. I’m sorry that I waited so long. I’m sorry I denied it for so long. You have been so good to me Willy. I hope I’m half as good to you as you are to me. I’ve never felt the love that you give me every single day from another person and I think that’s because the universe was saving it for ~you, for ~you to show me, because I can’t picture it being from anyone else. I love you so much and I miss you. Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker._

_i love u more than anything minskatt_

_Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker_

_Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker_

_always_

_i will always love u_

_i wish u were here with me_

_nothing is the same without u_

_nothing is the same without you either_

_I love you so much Willy_

_i love u aberdeen_


	30. Chapter 29

**May 26 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was frantic. 

The NHL had announced their Return to Play plan. Toronto was the chosen hub city for the eastern conference, naturally. They were _Toronto_. She’d be back at work.

None of that mattered.

William was back in Toronto.

But he was in quarantine. The government had instituted the policy and he was going to stick to it, obviously. And so was she, especially since he traveled from Florida, even though it was going to be hard. It meant that he was in Toronto, and Aberdeen _knew_ he was in Toronto, but she was unable to see him. They’d have to communicate the same way as they did when he was in Tampa Bay, _still_ , even though he was only a ten-minute walk away from her. 

It killed her. It hurt worse than when he was in Tampa.

“The plan is already set,” he explained to her on the phone. “After the fourteen days I get to go back onto the ice. I think a few of the guys who stayed in Toronto will be there too. No more than five, though.”

“Yeah. Those are the rules.”

“Will you be there with Brendan?”

Aberdeen hadn’t even thought about it. She and Brendan had obviously kept in touch throughout quarantine, but he hadn’t mentioned needing her at Scotiabank Arena should any of the guys go in for a skate. “I don’t know, actually,” she admitted. “I’d have to ask.”

“Please ask,” he said quickly, causing Aberdeen to laugh. “If you’re there that day, when I’m back on the ice, I…Aberdeen, please just ask.”

“I will.”

***

**May 29 th, 2020**

“Do you need me in that day, by the way?” Aberdeen asked Brendan on the phone, super-casually but also super-connivingly near the end of their call.

“Which day?”

“Any of the days, really,” she said, trying to sound even more casual than before. They’d gone through all the players, their whereabouts, and all the dates they would be available to go skate at the arena. “The seventh, the ninth – any of them.”

“Well…it’ll be nice to see your smiling face,” he said, and she knew by his tone he was looking down at his calendar. “How about you come in on just one of the days. You choose which one.”

“I’ll come on the ninth, the Tuesday,” she chose quickly. “Sunday is a day of worship, Brendan. You should know better.”

Brendan laughed on the other end. “It’ll be good to see you again, Aberdeen. Bring some of that humour with you. We’re gonna need it.”

***

**June 3 rd, 2020**

“Six more days, minskatt.”

“Not that we’re counting.”

“When I get my hands on you…”

“Not if I get my hands on you first.”

***

**June 7 th, 2020**

“Forty-eight hours.”

“It’s been seventy-five days, you know.”

“ _Seventy-five days_?! Fuuuuuuck, Aberdeen.”

“You haven’t been buried in my pussy for seventy-five days, Willy.”

“Aberdeen—”

“My pussy’s _so wet_ for you Willy.”

“You’ve gotta stop teasing me.”

***

**June 9 th, 2020**

“A _blazer_ , Aberdeen?” Brendan asked as he watched her walk into the office, a giddy smile on his face – not that anyone saw. Everyone was wearing a mask, and he was no exception. He wore a Leafs branded one, naturally. He had a bunch to give to Aberdeen, too – one for every day of the week. She walked into the office wearing a plain black mask. Typical of her.

“I needed to feel professional,” she said. “I’ve been in my condo in sweaters and tights for three months. Give me this moment.”

“Fine. Have it,” he smiled. “Set your stuff down and come with me. We’re going down to the ice.”

Aberdeen felt shivers running up and down her spine, and it wasn’t because of the ice. They made their way down to the locker room first, actually, where they saw Kyle on the way. She and him caught up quickly, with her asking about Leo and with Kyle asking about her writing. But then, like pure magic, and completely unannounced, there he was, in his hockey pants and socks. She swore her heart stopped beating. Seventy-five days.

William stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. He was wearing a mask, so she could only see his eyes. “Aberdeen,” he said, nodding at her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said. “Long time no see. How was Tampa?” she asked.

Only she could see the indignant look he was giving her with his eyes. It was a look he only saved for her when she was being ridiculous – in any way she could be ridiculous – so Brendan and Kyle were none the wiser, though she was sure if they _really_ looked, they’d probably see it too. “It was good. Nice spending time with the siblings, you know. Were you okay here?”

She nodded. “Yeah, everything was fine on my end. Just stayed holed up in the condo, really. Kasha was working a lot from home so it was mostly just me writing and keeping quiet so she could still earn a living.”

“Well that’s good that she didn’t get laid off or anything,” he commented. “And your family? They’re okay?”

“They’re fine. Siena’s back at my parents’ place and finished off the school year. Camden is too, though school in general is a bit of a shit show right now.”

“Is that Aberdeen?!” a voice suddenly called out from inside the locker room. Before their dumb conversation could continue with Brendan and Kyle watching, she saw a maskless Zach Hyman in his full gear barreling towards her. “Aberdeen!” he extended his arms for a hug.

“ _No no no_!” Kyle and Brendan screamed at the same time, putting their arms up like a forcefield around Aberdeen. “No hugging! Social distancing!”

Zach’s brows were furrowed before he finally remembered, rolling his eyes at himself. “Sorry. I’m so dumb. I completely forgot. I’m just excited to see you!”

“Me too, Zach,” she smiled, wishing he could see it. She hoped he at least saw her eyes crinkle from it. “It’s nice to be back, isn’t it?”

“You’re telling me,” he said. She didn’t even have to see his face to see he was smiling from ear to ear. He lived for hockey. “You coming out onto the ice with us?”

“If I’m allowed,” Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders, looking to Brendan and Kyle who were nodding their heads. “Might sit on the bench and pretend I’m Sheldon for a bit.”

***

_did u tell kasha ur working late?_

_Yup_

_come over right when brendan lets u leave_

_i can’t wait anymore_

_me neither_

_i got a boner just seeing u today in your work clothes_

_LOL WILL_

_minskatt im 100% serious_

_this isnt funny_

_I’m actually dying Willy_

_Thank god you were wearing your hockey pants_

_We’ve waited over six weeks, you can’t wait longer?_

_NO I CAN’T MINSKATT_

***

There were butterflies in Aberdeen’s stomach as she made her way into William’s condo building, into the elevator, and through the hallways. Still in her work clothes, she knocked frantically on his front door. 

She didn’t have to wait long.

She didn’t even get the third knock in before he swung the door open, obviously waiting for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her in. She dropped her bag as he pulled her into him and immediately planted his lips on hers aggressively. Hands and lips and tongues happened all at once, and they were everywhere, and when the front door shut behind them William pushed Aberdeen up against it, lifting her up in his arms with her wrapping her legs around him. Aberdeen wrapped her arms around his shoulders and began running her fingers through his hair. It had gotten so long. _So_ long. She’d seen the progression of the length on their FaceTime calls, but it was different seeing it in person. Seventy-five days. Seventy-five days since she’d seen him and she barely took in the sight of him when he opened the door.

“God I fucking missed you,” he mumbled quickly as his kisses moved from her lips to her neck.

“Let me see you,” she mumbled, stopping her hands from running through his hair to place them on either side of his face. She pulled his face away from her neck so she could look at him, _really_ look at him. His eyes were as blue as ever, glossed over with love and lust and everything in between. His hair was as blonde as ever, long and luscious and every girl’s dream, really. A light stubble covered his face, and the stupidest mustache sat atop his lip, but because he was William, she couldn’t say a bad thing about it. It looked ridiculous, but she loved everything about it. His lips were pink and puffy and wet as she ran her thumb across them ever so gently. He was here. He was actually here. “Hi,” she said softly, their chests still heaving from the hot and heavy start. 

“Hi minskatt,” he whispered back equally as softly, pursing his lips slightly as if to kiss her thumb.

“You’re here,” she smiled. “You’re finally here.”

“I never want to spend that much time apart again,” he said. “I can’t stand being away from you.”

“Me neither.”

“It was torture,” he continued. “All I thought about was you. How much I love you. How much I wanted to hold you in my arms like I’m doing now.”

Aberdeen smiled again, biting down on her bottom lip slightly. “Show me,” she said. “Show me how much you love me.”

He planted his lips on hers again, just as frantic and fiercely as the last time, continuing where he left off. Aberdeen began shimmying out of her blazer, letting it fall to the floor as he adjusted her in his arms and carried her through the apartment, setting her down finally on his couch. Hovering over her now, with her legs still wrapped around him, Aberdeen tugged at his hoodie. “Take this off,” she mumbled, pulling it over his shoulders and throwing it behind them.

Reluctantly, William’s lips left Aberdeen’s as he pulled back and started unzipping her pants. “Willy,” her chest heaved up and down. He was working quickly. He ignored his name as he pulled her pants off. When they were off, he hooked his fingers into her underwear and pulled them off too. “Willy—”

William was a man possessed. There was nothing Aberdeen could say – instead, she watched as he gave her one final look with his blue eyes before he dove into her pussy. She bucked her hips almost automatically but William brought his arm up to hold her down. “Ooooooh _fuck_ , Willy,” she sighed out. 

“I missed this,” he mumbled, humming against her lips as he lapped and sucked, making her squirm underneath his arm. “You taste so good for me.”

“I missed this too. I missed your mouth on my pussy,” she strained to get out, trying to savour the feeling as much as possible since she hadn’t felt it in seventy-five days. When he looked up at her from in between her legs, she smiled. “You look so good between my thighs, baby,” she cooed, running her fingers through his hair and gripping it slightly. 

He hummed again, sending shivers down her spine. “When you touched yourself was it like this?” he asked.

“No,” she responded automatically, because _nothing_ was the same as having William’s lips and tongued glued to her pussy. “Nothing is as good as this, Willy. _Nothing_.”

“Can I put my fingers in your pussy?”

She nodded furiously. “ _Please_ Willy.”

He pushed two fingers in slowly as he sucked on her clit, making her squirm even more so than before. “Oooooh, Willy,” she moaned. He curled his fingers inside of her like he always did and she gasped. “Willy—Willy—”

“Feel good?”

“Feels fucking amazing,” she said. “Willy, I—I—”

“What do you want, Aberdeen?”

“I want to suck your cock, Willy,” she admitted. “I want to suck your cock so bad.”

He chuckled, and she could feel it, and his eyes narrowed as he could practically feel the shivers run through her body. “Not yet. Not until you come on my face.”

Aberdeen gulped. “But Willy—”

“ _No_. Not until you come on my face, baby.”

“Willyyyy—” she begged, until she felt his fingers curl inside of her again. “Oh fuck, Willy, fuck – please,” she huffed. 

“Let me taste you, Aberdeen. I need to taste you.”

As he continued his lapping, Aberdeen moaned and cried out at every opportunity, and when she began tugging on his hair and pulling his face even further against her wet pussy, he knew she was close. With a few more curls of his fingers and sucking on her clit, she cried out his name over and over again as she became a screaming, writhing mess on his couch. He lapped up every single last drop of her as he watched her chest heave up and down from the pleasure, from the pleasure _he_ caused. When he was finally finished, placing butterfly kisses against her pussy and thighs, he made his way back up and gave her a hot, slobbered kiss.

She could taste herself on his lips, and she loved it, but what she wanted more was to taste _him_. So when his lips left hers, she made sure to look him in the eye. “Sit,” she said, putting her hands on his chest. 

“Minskatt—” he said, placing a hand on hers.

“ _Sit_ ,” she ordered more sternly, pushing him back so he’d listen to her command. He sat on the couch with his legs spread apart and watched as she climbed on top of him but made her way between his legs. She took off her top, leaving her just in her lace bra that she wore especially for him. Her hands went to the waistband of his sweatpants and she pulled them down, along with his boxers, as eagerly as ever. When his cock bounced up, already hard, she smiled up at him. “Mmmmm,” she hummed, running her fingernails up and down his thick thighs. “I’ve been dreaming about your cock in my mouth, Willy.”

“I’ve been dreaming abo— _oh fuuuuuck_ ,” he groaned as Aberdeen wasted no time in licking the underside of his cock from the base to the tip before covering the tip with her lips. “Aberdeen—”

William couldn’t finish his sentence – or thought, really – because Aberdeen took his cock in her mouth, swirling her tongue around expertly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The amount of times he thought about this very thing while in Tampa…and now it was happening. He shuddered thinking about it, _feeling_ it happening right now. “Your mouth feels incredible on my cock,” he managed to get out, looking down at her with hooded eyes. 

“Pull my hair, Willy,” she said quickly, putting a quick kiss on the tip of his cock. 

It was his turn to gulp. He ran his fingers through her hair – the hair he loved so much – and tugged on it slightly, pushing her back down onto his cock. She moaned in response. “That okay?”

She nodded even though his cock was halfway down her throat. She looked up at him again once she came back up – once he _allowed_ her to. “Harder, Willy. It’s okay. I want your cock down my throat.”

“Ab—”

“It’s okay, Willy,” she dug her nails into his thighs. “ _I want it_.”

A deep growl rose in his chest as he tugged on her hair again, pushing her mouth down his cock slowly. As he watched his cock disappear into her mouth, his pupils dilated. When she looked up at him with her beady eyes, he almost lost it. She began bobbing her head up and down his cock with his direction, the tugging of her hair and the slight force he was using making her wet all over again. Much like William, Aberdeen derived pleasure from knowing she was giving William that same pleasure, so seeing his chest heave, seeing him lean his head back in pleasure – it was all she wanted, everything she dreamed of for the past seventy-five days away from him.

“D’you want to come down my throat?” she asked, his cock slick and wet from her spit.

“No,” he said sternly. “Get…get up here.”

“Willy—”

He tugged her by the arm, bringing her back up so he could kiss her and pick her back up again as they made their way to his bedroom. He plopped her down to the bed, opening his bedside table drawer to get a condom. She stole it from him, ripping it open with her teeth and rolling it on herself before laying back down on the bed, unclasping her bra herself and throwing it across the room. 

William bent down and took one of her nipples into her mouth, sucking gently as he grabbed at her hands. He raised them above her head, holding them both there with only one of his own. He saw her smile. “You like that, don’t you?” he asked, his own grin showing how he felt about it.

She nodded her head. “I want your cock so bad Willy. “Give me your cock. I _need_ your cock.”

He slipped into her easily, quickly, her wet pussy still slick with her juices. They both moaned in pleasure, and once he was fully in her, they both took a moment to savour the feeling of being together again – physically, mentally, emotionally, _everything_ – and looked each other in the eye. “God you feel so good,” he whispered, giving the tip of her nose a light kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she said, her voice breathless, the feeling of him filling her up almost too much to bear after not having experienced it for so long. “I love you so much, Willy.”

“I promise you,” he said. “I promise you I’ll never leave you for that long again. We’ll never be separated like that.”

She nodded her head. She understood. “I never want to be. I always want to be with you, Willy. Wherever you are, I’ll be.”

He began moving in and out of her, slowly, trying to make the feeling last as long as possible. But eventually, when Aberdeen began rolling her hips along with his movements, even though her arms and hands were still pinned above her head, he couldn’t control himself, moving quicker and crashing harder against her body. He watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, the moans escaping them freely and loudly. 

At some point, William forgot about holding her arms above her head. At some point, they escaped free, and she dug her nails into his shoulder blades and scratched them down his back. At some point, after hearing her moans and cries and screams of his name for what felt like hours, he lost himself, and he lost control, and she lost herself, and she lost control, and they came together, bodies close, arms around each other, his head buried in the crook of her neck, hearts beating together. 

***

“Did you mean what you said?” William asked as they lay in bed together, still recovering. He knew there was going to be a round two. And a round three. And however many more they saw fit until they were satisfied, although deep down he knew neither of them would _ever_ be satisfied. But before all that, he needed to clear something up. He needed to hear it from her. “Wherever you are, I’ll be?”

Aberdeen looked over at him. She knew what he was asking, because he was in hockey. He could be shipped off somewhere tomorrow. He could be shipped off in the off-season. As she learned in May, and saw for herself, virtually half the fanbase wanted him gone (the dumb fanbase at least, she thought). But much like when he asked her if she would really come to Sweden with him, she knew there was a deeper meaning to this. There always was with William with questions like this; he was still learning to talk to her – to express his feelings like he promised he would after that game against Carolina. “Are you listening?” she asked, what they would always ask each other when they were about to say something important.

“Yes, minskatt.”

She looked him in the eye and nodded her head. “Of course I did.”

He tried not to show it, but he took a sharp intake of breath. She could see his Adam’s apple bob. She knew he was trying not to get emotional. But when he moved to kiss her, she could feel a tear.

***

**June 13 th, 2020**

“I saw on the news that William is back!” Camden exclaimed into the phone. Aberdeen had to go so far as to jerk the phone away from her ear. From the other side of the couch, William giggled silently. “Did you get to see him, Aberdeen?!”

“I did,” she laughed. “He says hello.”

“Did he have a good time in Tampa?”

“I think so. I mean he was with his siblings,” Aberdeen laughed. “Aren’t you happy with me and Siena are home?”

“Sometimes.”

She snorted. “ _Anyways_ , have you finished the last of your work for school?” she asked. “Siena told me you forgot about a math assignment.”

“Oh my _God_ , I forget about _one_ assignment and I never hear the end of it!” he complained. William threw his head back in silent laughter. “You guys _never_ let me hear the end of it!”

“But it’s _math_ , Camden! Math is your favourite subject!”

“Don’t you guys remember I’m working at like, two grades above my level in math anyway?” he reminded her. “I’m already, like, gifted in math. _You_ weren’t gifted.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Is Auston back yet?” he asked.

“I don’t know buddy. He’s still in Arizona. But I assume he’ll be coming back soon. I’m sure there’s ice rinks there he’s practicing on.”

“Is he staying safe?”

“I’m sure he is Camden. I’m sure he is.”

***

**June 19 th, 2020**

_@simmonssteve: POSTMEDIA EXCLUSIVE: Auston Matthews has tested positive for COVID-19. My breaking story: torontosun.com_

***

Aberdeen thought she’d seen Brendan Shanahan angry on her interview day when he was demanding to his former personal assistant that the article written about his daughter be pulled from the Toronto Sun. She thought she saw Brendan Shanahan at his angriest when she entered his house while he was having a fight with his daughter and the subsequent day when he sent her on a wild goose chase throughout the city to find Niklas Lidstrom’s Swedish jersey. 

Those were a walk in the park compared to how she saw him now, dealing with the leaked information that Auston tested positive for COVID-19. 

She was sure he was ready to burn down his office, the floor, the entire building, the entire Scotiabank Arena. She knew he wanted to revoke the media access and credentials of the reporter, Steve Simmons, because he had so many strikes against him over the years (Aberdeen would have to research this when she got home), but that he would look like a vindictive and spiteful president if he did so. She knew he had been on the phone with Auston and his agent and his parents and Kyle and Brad and just about everyone else important within the organization to deal with it.

And all she was doing was sitting in a chair in his office with a mask on. 

She felt her phone buzz in her hand, and when she looked at the screen she saw “Head Empty” on the screen followed by a message. 

_hows it going over there?_

She took a quick look at Brendan and he was still barking into a phone. She unlocked her screen and began to type. 

_It’s a shit show._

_Have you heard from Auston?_

_yea_

_mild symptoms_

_but hes angry_

_doesnt know how it leaked_

_Who could it have been?_

_no clue, honestly_

_not like any of us would say something_

“Aberdeen, Kyle is coming in,” Brendan said quickly. His voice was stern but softer than how he was speaking to whoever was on the phone. He had his hand over the receiver. “Can you go get us some coffee, please.”

She nodded and got up, making her way out of his office and to the Starbucks where she always went to get their regular orders. As she took the staircase down to the main floor, her phone began to ring loudly, echoing in the empty space. She stopped and looked down at her phone. _Auston Matthews_.

“Hello?” she asked, truly confused as to why he would be calling her.

“Hey,” he said casually. “How are you?”

“I’m…fine,” she replied, still confused. “Is everything okay?”

“Depends,” he said. “Can you be honest with me?”

She stiffened slightly. “I’m always honest with you.”

“I know. But can you be honest with me _right now_?”

“Yes, of course.”

He paused. “Do you know who leaked it?”

She closed her eyes. She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “No, I don’t. But trust me when I say we’re doing everything to find out. Kyle’s heading over right now and I can only imagine what he and Brendan are going to do to…I don’t know, _mitigate_ this disaster.”

She could hear him sigh on the other end. “I hope whoever it was gets fired, honest to God.”

“I hope so too. Pretty sure Brendan wants to get Steve Simmons fired, too, for what it’s worth,” she said. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before her mouth began speaking quicker than her brain told her not to say anything. “You don’t think it was me, do you?”

“No, not at all,” he said. “We all trust you with anything and everything. We know if something ever got out, it would never be you.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked, genuinely curious. It was a feat in and of itself to have the utmost trust of absolutely everybody in the locker room.

“Because we know and understand that we all have our secrets, Aberdeen.”


	31. Chapter 30

**July 1 st, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was with William on the rooftop of his condo building. 

She’d spun a wild web of lies to make sure she could be with him after he begged to see her for Canada Day. It was a bit awkward this year, because it landed on a Wednesday, right in the middle of the week, but she’d managed. She’d told Kasha she was with her family. She’d told her family she couldn’t stay the whole day, and because they spent the morning and the afternoon together already, they were okay with that. 

She was getting too good at lying.

“What are you thinking about?” William asked as they lay together on a recliner they had dragged from underneath pergolas so they could see the night sky. Though there was too much light pollution in Toronto to see a sky full of stars, there were still some bright stars in the sky along with the glowing moon. From all the way atop the building, they could barely hear the noise from the city below. 

She smiled. “For the first time, nothing,” she said, cuddling her head onto his chest even more as he held her hand against her heart. “My mind and my heart are at ease right now.”

She could feel him smile. He liked how she felt so at east with him. He liked how he could make her feel that way in between the stress of her job and moving forward in her career. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Can I show you how much I love you?”

She raised her head from his chest to cock an eyebrow up at him. “We’re not having sex on the roof of your condo,” she deadpanned. 

He snorted. He didn’t blame her for thinking that’s what he wanted. Ever since he got back to Toronto, they fell back into the habit of sneaking around. Most of it happened at his apartment now, in between skating at Scotiabank Arena and Aberdeen telling Kasha she’d have to be there the whole day and not just the few hours when they boys were in. “No, minskatt. Something else.”

“What something else?”

William shifted his body so he was sitting up more, causing Aberdeen to shift too, straddling his lap to face him instead. She ran her hands over his chest quickly before he took them, kissing them both, before she watched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “You weren’t the only one I was talking to during quarantine.”

She furrowed her brows at him. She knew he wasn’t cheating – he wouldn’t be risking _her_ career and _her_ reputation if he was just going to cheat on her – so she had no clue what he meant by that. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“I thought you deserved some good news during the lockdown…quarantine…whatever,” he began. “So I got Kyle to send me Max’s number.”

“Who’s Max?”

William rolled his eyes and giggled. “Max Kerman, minskatt. From the Arkells.” He watched as her face lit up before he continued. “He told me to tell you they’re coming out with a new album. Well – _new_. It’s, like, an acoustic album. They’re re-imagining all of their songs as if you’re singing them around a campfire,” he explained.

“Really?” Aberdeen was excited by the news. “That’s so cool. I love when they do acoustic sets.”

“Mhm,” William nodded. “They’re releasing it in August. But they’re actually including one new song.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Want to hear it?”

Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “What do you mean _want to hear it_? You _have_ it?!”

William nodded. “Max sent it to me. I told him about how much of a fan you were, and he remembered you from the mentor’s trip, so he didn’t mind so long as we were the only ones who heard it.”

He could see her eyes light up like fireworks. “Well—well _of course_! I’m not gonna leak it!” she said as if Max were standing in front of them. “Is it acoustic too?” she asked. William nodded. “What’s it about?”

“Let’s see,” he smiled, fiddling around with his phone, shaking slightly. “I’ve listened to it once or twice. I think it’s a love song.”

Aberdeen waited impatiently as William found the song. He turned the audio up on his phone to the highest level as she heard Max’s voice count the beat in. When the acoustic guitar started, she automatically fell in love with it. Melodic, as always, sounding like a perfect Arkells song. She swayed back and forth gently, and at that point, she saw William staring at her. 

_I think about you all the time_

_I can’t get you off my mind_

Aberdeen’s body seized up immediately. _I think about you all the time. I can’t get you off my mind. I think about you all the time. I can’t get you off my mind. I think about you when I’m not even thinking. I think about you when I’m not even thinking._

A rush of emotion flushed her entire body. “Willy—” she tried to get out, her voice strained as she pushed away from him.

“Minskatt—” he grabbed her hands on his chest as she pushed away so she couldn’t push away any further. “Minskatt, come on—”

“—Willy what did you do—”

“—Minskatt, minskatt shhhhh,” he cooed as he saw tears begin to fall down her cheeks. “Minskatt, listen to me—”

“ _Willy_ ,” she stressed, looking him in the eye. “Willy, is this song about me? About _us_?”

He nodded softly. “I got him to write a song about you. Like your dream.”

Aberdeen burst out into tears, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed into them. William stopped the song and leaned forward to wrap his arms around her, bringing her into his chest to cry. He held her tightly and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. “Why are you crying, minskatt?” he asked.

She didn’t respond at first. But when she lifted her head from his chest and wiped her eyes to be able to see him clearly, she finally did. “Are you _joking_? Why am I _crying_?” she asked rhetorically. “My boyfriend just got my favourite band to write a song about me!” she exclaimed.

“But you like that I did that though, right?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. _That_ at least made her smile. “ _Of course_ I like it, you Costco hot dog,” she said, making him chuckle. “But I don’t – how did you – I mean what – how—”

“I called Max, and I told him about how there was this girl,” William said. “I didn’t tell him too much. Don’t worry. I didn’t tell him it was _you_. But I told him what was important, and some things to include. And he wrote it, and sort of filled in the rest with his own stuff.”

Aberdeen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. William had gotten Max Kerman to write a song about her. About _them_. Without even revealing their secret. And he’d recorded it. Mastered it. Put it on an Arkells album. Would tour with it. Sing it to crowds—

“The best part about it is whenever we hear it on the radio, we’re the only two people in the world who know it’s about us,” William said softly, looking her in the eye.

Aberdeen started crying all over again. She let her face fall back into his chest as he held her again. She cried her eyes out. This was, bar none, the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her, let alone a boyfriend. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she almost couldn’t handle it. William, for his part, let her cry until she was all cried out – until she lifted her head again and wiped her eyes again too look at him.

“Can I play it?” he asked. 

She nodded her head, preparing herself.

_I think about you all the time  
I can't get you off my mind  
If they only knew  
Who I've been talking to_

_You got a place off the park  
I'll come on by after dark  
Was nervous then  
When you let me in_

_We were hanging at cross town parties, oh  
Just killing time until the main event_

_And it hurts  
All throughout my insides  
I couldn't stop if I tried  
Loving you_

_I'll never learn  
So I'll call you when I'm outside  
You said, "The key's behind the porch light for unit two"_

_I thought of maybe quitting  
But there's no quitting you_

_You said that the fridge is dry  
But you got some red, you got some white  
The drunks outside  
Singing lullabies_

_Slow dance swaying back and forth  
Whispering "What's mine is yours"  
When you say my name  
Hits in a different way_

_You call me out when I'm talking nonsense, oh  
And I'll kiss you when I got nothing to say_

_And it hurts (oh oh oh)  
All throughout my insides  
I couldn't stop if I tried  
Loving you_

_I'll never learn (oh oh oh)  
So I'll call ya when I'm outside  
The key's behind the porch light for unit two_

_And I thought of maybe quitting  
But there's no quitting you_

_My whole life  
I'm scanning for the exits, oh  
Lying next to you  
I don't wanna leave_

_And it hurts (oh oh oh)  
All throughout my insides  
And I couldn't stop if I tried  
Loving you_

_I'll never learn (oh oh oh)  
So I'll call ya when I'm outside  
The key's behind the porch light for unit two_

_And I thought of maybe quitting_  
But there's no quitting you  
There's no quitting you

By the time the song finished, Aberdeen had stuffed her face into the crook of William’s neck. She let some last tears fall. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said in his ear. 

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, minskatt. Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker.”

“Jag tänker på dig när jag inte ens tanker.”

***

**July 10 th, 2020**

_The NHL announced its Return to Play Plan on May 26 with 24 teams in competition for the Stanley Cup. The tournament begins with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, which include 16 teams paired in eight best-of-5 series and a round-robin among the top four teams in each conference to determine seeds for the Stanley Cup Playoffs._

_"I want to make clear that the health and safety of our players, coaches, essential support staff and our communities are paramount," Commissioner Gary Bettman said when announcing the Return to Play Plan. "While nothing is without risk, ensuring health and safety has been central to all of our planning so far and will remain so._

_"Let me assure you that the reason we are doing this is because our fans have told us in overwhelming numbers that they want to complete the season if at all possible. And our players and our teams are clear that they want to play and bring the season to its rightful conclusion."_

_The format was determined in meetings of the Return to Play Committee, which included executives from the NHL and NHL Players' Association, and five players: Ottawa Senators defenseman Ron Hainsey, Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele, Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares and Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk._

_The qualifiers are being held at two hub cities: the 12 Eastern Conference teams are in Toronto, and the 12 Western Conference teams are in Edmonton, also the site of the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final. A comprehensive system for testing is in place in each hub city, and each team was permitted to travel a maximum of 52 personnel, including players, coaches and staff._

_"Obviously, we anticipate playing over the summer and into the early fall," Commissioner Bettman said in May. "Obviously, these are extraordinary and unprecedented times. Any plan for the resumption of play, by definition, cannot be perfect. And I am certain that, depending on which team you root for or which team you cover, you can find some element of this package that you might prefer to be done differently. But we believe we have constructed an overall plan that includes all teams that, as a practical matter, might have had a chance of qualifying for the playoffs when the season was paused. And this plan will produce a worthy Stanley Cup champion who will have run the postseason gauntlet that is unique to the NHL."_

***

This was Aberdeen’s second training camp for the same season. She never thought she’d _ever_ experience a professional sports team’s training camp in her entire life, let alone two. But her life had taken a turn one year ago (thirteen months now, if we were _really_ counting) when she met William at that bar and had slept with him. Everything she had experienced this year was…surreal, to say the least. And that was just in her personal life. Never mind her professional life.

Although the lines _were_ blurred these days between her personal and professional life.

At Scotiabank Arena, she knew the entire team was on the ice a few floors below Brendan’s office. She knew Sheldon was putting them through drills, making them skate laps around the rink, shoot at the net – whatever they needed to do to feel like hockey players again. Whatever they needed to do to go all the way. Whatever they needed to do to win the Stanley Cup.

“Aberdeen,” she heard her name being called by Brendan. She shot up from her seat and made her way into his office. He looked up at her through his glasses as he continued to focus on his laptop screen. “Close the door behind you, please. And sit.”

Suddenly her nerves got the best of her. He never usually needed her to shut the door unless they were talking about something confidential. “Is everything okay?” she asked, sitting.

He sighed, taking off his glasses and laying them beside his laptop. He took a good look at her before he began speaking again. “Aberdeen, I’m going to ask you a serious question, and I need you to think about it before answering me.”

She gulped. “Okay…”

“Do you want to come into the bubble?”

She was shocked. He hadn’t spoken to her about the bubble yet, and on the first instance he did, he was asking her to go into it. This was a grand total of three days before the clubs had to submit the final list of the 52 personnel who would be going in, so she was sure she wasn’t being considered anyway. “ _Me_?”

He nodded. “You’d fulfill roles for both Kyle and I, and you would be helping the content creator with the social media aspect of the bubble,” he explained. “But Kyle and I were speaking, and as we were going through the list of employees to bring, your name came up.”

“I… _me_?”

“You’re reliable. Your hard-working. We know you’re not going to break any rules. And fuck, there’s some extensive rules,” he picked up a heavy duotang, wagged it at her, before plopping it down on his desk again. “But it’s going to be tough going in there. Psychologically. It’s not going to be easy. Especially if we go all the way. And believe me… _we want to go all the way_ ,” he stressed. “That’s why I want you to think about it.”

***

“Brendan asked me to be in the bubble.”

Aberdeen and William had a bad habit of asking things or blurting things out after sex while they were lying in the bed, she with her tits out, trying to catch their breaths. When she looked over at him, his eyes were bulged out. “What?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “He wants me to fulfill my role and help the content creator with the social media aspect. But yeah…he wants me in there.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what she was expecting to hear from William, considering the information they already knew about the bubble and knowing that much more information was to come, but it definitely wasn’t a decisive, stern, “No.”

It was her turn to whip her head to look at him. “Excuse me?” she asked. “ _No_?”

“No,” William shook his head. “I don’t want you in there, Aberdeen.”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows, not understanding why William was acting like this and saying these things. She shifted so she was propping herself up on her elbow. “William…I… _what_?”

“You…I…listen,” he began, sighing, “as much as I love you and as much as I’m gonna miss you when I’m quarantined in there, I don’t…I don’t know if I want you being in there. I don’t want you to experience that.”

“Why not?”

“We’ve already gotten the rules. We can’t be in each other’s rooms. Aberdeen, we can’t even _speak_ in the elevators. It’s…I don’t know if I’d be able to do all that knowing you’re there too. But even more important than that, I don’t want you to risk anything. Your safety, your health.”

“Willy…” she cooed, bringing an arm up to drape around him. In turn, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, placing a quick kiss on her shoulder. “I know you want me to be safe, but I’ll be safe in there. If you’re safe, I’m safe in there too. What’s the difference?”

William continued to shake his head. “I don’t want you to have to go through, psychologically, what I’m gonna have to go through.”

She brought a hand between them to cup his face. “You don’t have to be the martyr here, Willy. It’s not like I want you to go through it either.”

William sighed, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. She could feel his lips graze her skin on her neck and shoulder, but he stayed silent. He didn’t say another word.

***

**July 12 th, 2020**

“I’ll do it.”

“You’ll do what?”

“I’ll come into the bubble.”

Brendan looked up from his desk, finally. He took off his glasses. “You’re sure about this?”

“Positive.”

“Because once you say yes you can’t back out. We have to submit the names to the NHL officially tomorrow. And once you’re in the Royal York, you can’t leave unless it’s a family emergency – death, birth of a child—”

“I know. I read the package,” she nodded her head. “I understand what I’m getting myself into. I’ll do it.”

***

**July 16 th, 2020**

Aberdeen walked gingerly into the coffee shop Brendan had sent her to. _In the middle of a pandemic_. She understood cases were now fairly low in Ontario, but she was still apprehensive. People shouldn’t just be…going places. Walking into offices that weren’t their places of work or coffee shops that weren’t their regular coffee shops or grocery stores that weren’t their regular grocery stores. Places that they didn’t know. That they weren’t used to.

Yet here she was.

She stood at the door awkwardly. There were exactly three spaces for indoor dining when, in regular times, she knew there would be much more. At one table, a couple sat with masks on and coffees in front of them staring at their phones. At another, a girl who couldn’t have been older than here was sneakily taking a Snapchat selfie. At the third—

“Aberdeen Bloom?” the woman sitting at the table asked. Her eyes crinkled slightly, signaling to Aberdeen that she was smiling behind her mask. “Please, sit!” she motioned to the chair. 

“Hi,” Aberdeen said awkwardly, extending her hand but then pulling it back violently before half bowing as a form of saying hello. She was so fucking awkward. She didn’t even know what this was for. “That’s me, Aberdeen Bloom. I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant. And your name is…”

“I’m Beth Zadakis, the major features editor of Toronto Life magazine.”

Aberdeen’s breath hitched in her throat. She was going to fucking kill Brendan. She was going to go back to the office and murder him in cold blood. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said politely, thinking about the gold-plated envelope opener in Brendan’s desk she could use to stab him. “You’ll have to forgive me, but Brendan didn’t really give me any information about this…uh, meeting,” she said. “What is it that he needs from you? Or you from him?”

“Nothing, actually,” Beth’s eyes crinkled again. “It’s actually more so about you. Brendan tells me you’re a writer.”

Aberdeen gulped. “I’m definitely trying to be.”

“Have you submitted to us before?”

Aberdeen nodded. “Just to the memoirs section. I think it was Sandy who read my work, but it was ultimately rejected. At least, that’s who I got the email from.”

Beth nodded. “Sandy’s actually left to take a job with The Globe and Mail. And due to some promotions and transfers, there’s actually an opening for a contributing editor – it’s what we call our writers.”

Aberdeen knew very well what _Toronto Life_ called their writers. She had dreamt of seeing her name on that list for years now. “Why…I mean—how do I factor into this?” she stuttered out.

“Brendan tells me you’re going into the NHL bubble.”

“I am.”

Beth leaned in slightly. “We’d like for you to write a feature for the magazine about life in the bubble. The hotel, the boys, the games – everything. Hockey in a pandemic. A full feature, anywhere between five to ten thousand words.”

Aberdeen’s body felt like it was on fire. She was sure her eyes were bulging out dramatically, but at this point, she didn’t care. “I can do that,” she said, nodding her head. “I can do that.”

“If you can pull it off, Aberdeen, you’ve got a job with the magazine.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest. “I can do it. I won’t let you down.”

Beth shifted slightly in her seat and took out a piece of paper. “I’m going to write you the name and contact information of my senior editor, Alec,” she said. “He’ll want to meet you and speak to you about the piece. But it’s a go, Aberdeen.”

***

“A _major feature_ , minskatt?” William’s eyes lit up at the news Aberdeen had just shared, her giddiness and excitable energy rubbing off on him quickly. “That sounds important.”

“Is _is_ important! It’s the longest feature of the magainze! Willy, it’s usually _the cover_!” she exclaimed. “The—the cover! Do you know how much of a big deal that is?!”

“I can tell from how much you’re freaking out about it,” he smiled. He reached to grab her hands and intertwined their fingers. He pushed them and crossed them at the small of her back before moving closer to her body and giving her a quick kiss. “Look at _you_ , minskatt. I’m so proud of you.”

“Well, I haven’t written it yet.”

“Yeah, but you’ve shown me your writing. And it’s fantastic. So you’re gonna knock this one out of the park.”

Aberdeen knew how lucky she was to have someone like William in her life, always supporting her and always being her biggest cheerleader. While other people had told her to pursue other things, he was there encouraging her – the silent support she always wanted and needed. “I love you. D’you know that?” she asked tenderly, looking up at his big blue eyes.

He could only smile. “Not as much as I love you.”

She chuckled slightly. “You realize if I knock this out of the park, that means I become a contributing editor at the magazine. I become a writer. My dream. And that means I leave the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

“That means I can finally kiss you in public.”

Aberdeen smiled. It _did_ mean he could finally kiss her in public. It meant a lot of things. They could finally be open with their relationship. They could go out on dates publicly. They could go out to dinner. She could bring him to San Remo Bakery. They could have picnics in the park. They could walk along the lake. They could post on Instagram about each other. She could finally have the name set as ‘William Nylander’ on her phone as opposed to ‘Head Empty’ (maybe she’d keep it that way). They could do _so_ much. _So so so_ much. “It would be bittersweet leaving…” she bit her lip. “I mean…I love my job, Will. I love all the guys.”

“Brendan wouldn’t have put you up for the job if he didn’t think it would be a great opportunity for you,” he shrugged his shoulders. “The guys would miss you but they know you want to become a writer.”

“But what if I can’t deliver?”

William shook his head. “Brendan wouldn’t have put you up for the job if he didn’t think you’d be able to deliver, either, minskatt,” he said. “I know you can do it. We all do.”

***

**July 17 th, 2020**

“You must be Aberdeen Bloom,” Alec Young said with no hint of any emotion in his voice as Aberdeen stood in the doorway of his large, expansive office. As per COVID-19 protocols, there were very few people in, but apparently Alec was important enough to be in the offices working instead of working from home. She imagined he had piles and piles of articles to edit for future issues. She was surprised he even had time for her – granted, it was a quick lunchtime visit, but still.

“Yes sir, that’s me,” she nodded quickly, clutching her purse handles in her hands. 

“Beth tells me you’re going to be writing a feature for us, possibly,” he said. “About the NHL bubble.”

“That’s the plan, sir, yes.”

He eyed her. “Sit. And close the door behind you.”

Aberdeen did as she was told, sitting in the plush chair more than six feet away from his desk – his office was that big. She settled in but he made her wait as he typed away furiously into his laptop before he finally stopped and turned towards her. “She told you the length?”

“Yes. 5,000-10,000 words.”

“And what we’re looking for?”

Aberdeen furrowed her brows slightly. “I…I assume about life in the bubble. Playing professional sports during a pandemic,” she said.

That was when he smiled. “No Miss Bloom. We’re looking for…more.”

“ _More_?”

He clasped his hands together on his desk. “We know what hockey players are like, Miss Bloom. You’ve been working for the team for about a year now, right? I’m sure you’ve seen the shenanigans they get up to.”

“Shenanigans?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. The booze, the drugs, the women. They’re professional athletes,” he said. Aberdeen thought back to a hotel visit in Calgary where she found Mitch Marner and Jake Muzzin playing mini-sticks in the hotel hallway like they were a peewee team on their first-ever road trip; she also thought back to the snowball fight a bunch of them had in Montreal where they were giggling like schoolgirls while also deliberately aiming for each other’s nuts. If Alec only knew. “That’s what you’re covering for us. The shenanigans. Sneaking women into the bubble, the fights, the booze – everything.”

“I…” she began to protest, not knowing which words should come out of her mouth first. “They’re…they’re nothing _like_ that anymore. They’re just not,” she said. Alec looked unconvinced. “These are guys that are bringing their gaming consoles into their rooms at the Royal York. They’re worried about the wifi being too weak when everyone’s gaming that it’s gonna lag or something. They’re not sneaking in _women_ —and drugs? I don’t even know where to—”

“Listen,” Alec said firmly, holding his hand up to get her to stop talking. “Either you get us the scoop, or you don’t. If you get it, you have a job here, and the guarantee that your article will be on our cover and be front page on the magazine racks and newsstands. If you don’t get the scoop, you don’t get the job. It’s up to you.”

Aberdeen thought back to when Mike Babcock got fired. She thought back to getting called by Brendan late at night and less than an hour and a half later she was on the MLSE private jet. She thought back to just before going into the locker room, and what Kyle had said to her. _“You know Aberdeen, Brendan trusts you.”_ She thought back to what he said after he thanked her for not leaking the information. _“You could have sold that information to any newspaper or reporter and they would have offered you a job. But you didn’t.”_

She remembered what she told him. _“I would never burn this bridge. I’d never sell Brendan or the team out like that for personal gain.”_

And then, what Kyle followed up with _. “This city is rife with opportunity for people who take advantage of others. But you’re not like that – at least yet.”_

That was before everything. Before she had sex with William. Before she carried on a secret relationship with him behind everyone’s back. Before she started lying to everybody. Had she changed? Was she a person, now, who would take advantage of others? Would she take advantage of the organization that had given her so much for her dream job in writing? Was she _that_ person? A person who would lie to get what she wanted? Fabricate entire stories just to secure a dream job?

The answer, to her, was immediate.

No.

But she looked at Alec. “I understand,” she said instead.

He smiled. “Good.”


	32. Chapter 31

**July 18 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was getting frappucinos with Kasha. 

She was happy she and Kasha were on the same page – that they would get tacos for a late dinner and bring them back to their place to eat. Neither were comfortable with dining in restaurants, even though it was allowed. It just wasn’t something they wanted to do just yet. So they’d take the tacos back to their apartment, sit on their balcony, and have a romantic date night with the frappucinos and – if Aberdeen was being honest – a bottle of rosé between them. 

Kasha had to run to an ATM, so Aberdeen was left waiting for the tacos herself. It was a Saturday night, so the streets were somewhat busy – not as busy as they would have been during normal times, but busy enough that it made Aberdeen uncomfortable. What was everybody doing out? Where were they going? Who were they meeting up with? Why weren’t they staying at home? It was all very weird to her. Last summer she wouldn’t have even batted an eye; now, she was hyperaware of the people around her, hyperaware of standing six feet away from the other people ordering tacos, either in line or at the restaurant, and was clutching on to the strap of her bag so her hands didn’t fidget with her mask or touch anything else around her. She was getting tested every day at work, and thankfully she was lucky to have them always come back negative. She was being extra cautious. She didn’t want to—

“Aber _deeeeeen_? Is that you?!” a voice suddenly called out from down the sidewalk.

Aberdeen looked to her right to see Saylor walking down the sidewalk with a posse of girls equally as glamourous as she was. Aberdeen looked down at her outfit and gulped. Leave it to Saylor to show up when she was waiting for a boatload of food and in clothes she just threw on to appear presentable in public. “Hey Saylor,” Aberdeen half-waved. More than anything, she was surprised to see Saylor in the city – from what she’d seen on Instagram, Saylor had gone back to Lake Forest during quarantine. Kasperi had joined her. 

“You’re wearing a mask outside? I thought you didn’t have to here.”

“I was just inside,” Aberdeen pointed with her thumb to the restaurant. Not that she had to justify wearing a mask anywhere. The world was still in the midst of a fucking pandemic. “Just waiting for my food…and my friend.”

“These are _my_ friends – Gina, Amanda, Jen, and Sadie,” she pointed to each girl. Aberdeen gave them all a quick nod. They couldn’t seem less interested in her. “Girls, Aberdeen works for the Leafs with Kasperi.”

Suddenly, all of their eyes shot forward. “ _Really_?” the one identified as Jen asked. “What do you do?”

“I—I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant,” she revealed reluctantly. She didn’t want to tell these girls anything, let alone her job.

“Kasperi told me you’re going into the bubble next week,” Saylor said before the conversation could go any further.

“I am,” she nodded, hesitating to even confirm the news to Saylor. After their last altercation in Los Angeles, Aberdeen was fine with never seeing her again. She was almost positive Saylor felt the same way, but apparently not. 

“He said you’re going to be the only girl in there.”

Saylor was right. Aberdeen _would_ be the only woman in the bubble for the Leafs. She was sure – well, she fucking _hoped_ – that other women from other team staff would be at the hotel too. It would make the experience a lot less fucking awkward, that was for sure. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Saylor’s friend Gina snorted. “We all know what you’ll be used for.”

Aberdeen’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Now she knew why Saylor didn’t just ignore her and walk by her on the street. She wanted other people to do her dirty work for her. She wanted to re-live what happened in Los Angeles, except this time, it would be five against one. 

“Not _yet_ ,” Saylor smiled wryly. “Not until she gets her nose job.”

The other girls laughed. Aberdeen narrowed her eyes at Saylor. “I fucking _love_ my big nose, alright?”

“I’m sure you do. That’s very _homely_ of you,” Saylor rolled her eyes. “And I’m warning you now, you better stay away from Kasperi in that bubble.”

Aberdeen snorted out loud. _Actually_ snorted. “Oh my _God_ , is _that_ was this is about?” she asked indignantly. “You’re…Saylor, you’re joking right?”

Saylor didn’t look too pleased that Aberdeen was laughing at her. “Stay away from my boyfriend.”

“I wouldn’t touch your boyfriend with a ten-foot pole. I wouldn’t even touch him wearing a hazmat suit.”

Saylor took a step forward, trying to intimidate her. Aberdeen was laughing too much to care. The whole thing got so ridiculous so quickly that the only thing she could do was laugh. Saylor was completely out to lunch. “It’s so obvious that you’re _so_ jealous of me,” she said.

“Saylor, I don’t even _think_ about you at all.”

“We ready to go? I got our tacos,” Kasha’s voice suddenly interrupted the confrontation. Aberdeen looked behind her to see Kasha holding the bag up slightly, eyeing the situation. Aberdeen wondered how much of the conversation she’d heard. “Who’s this, Aberdeen?”

Aberdeen took a slight step back. “This is Saylor. Kasperi’s girlfriend.”

Kasha nodded once. “Have fun,” she said to the group of girls before linking her free arm around Aberdeen’s. As they took their first step forward, Kasha looked at Aberdeen. “Kasperi? Is that the one that DM’ed me?” she asked. _Loudly_.

Aberdeen didn’t turn around to see Saylor’s reaction. She didn’t need to. She knew she would have never seen someone turn so red so quickly in her entire life. And as they walked down the street, the wry smile on Kasha’s face grew. “Was that okay?” Kasha asked. 

“You’re brilliant,” Aberdeen said. Maybe it wasn’t the nicest thing to do – okay, it definitely _wasn’t_ the nicest thing to do – but _God_ did it feel good. Kappy had never DM’ed Kasha before in her life. Aberdeen wasn’t even sure Kappy knew who Kasha was even though he met her at the Halloween party. “I might get a phone call later, but it was brilliant.”

“If you get a phone call, I’ll let them know that she said you weren’t hot enough without a nose job,” Kasha said.

“So you heard that?”

“That’s when I came in. The guy was calling your name and so I grabbed the food and lingered.”

Aberdeen smiled. “I love you, bitch.”

“Love you too, bitch.”

***

_Message from: Kasperi Kapanen_

_I heard u ran into Saylor tonite?_

_Yes_

_Why did Kasha say I slid into her DMs?_

_Must have had to do with the fact that Saylor told me I wasn’t pretty enough for any of you to fuck in the bubble unless I got a nose job._

***

_minskatt_

_what did saylor say to u tn?_

_Nothing important because you love my nose and that’s all that matters_

_can i call u_

_No_

_I’m with Kasha_

_minskatt please_

_It’s fine Willy_

_I don’t care_

_She’s dumb_

_She thinks I’m jealous of her_

_And she told me to stay away from Kappy in the bubble_

_She thinks I want to sleep with him_

_I mean *crying face emoji*_

_omg_

_Please don’t worry about it_

_I’ll see you tomorrow_

_i love u_

_I love you too_

_I want you to cum down my throat tomorrow_

_Okay?_

_*weird emoji face*_

***

**July 25 th, 2020**

Aberdeen and William promised each other they would take it slow because they wanted to make the moment last as long as possible.

They were both fully packed. Aberdeen’s suitcase was packed back in her bedroom. A two-month supply of food and cat litter was bought for Minerva so that Kasha wouldn’t have to go get any, just in case the Leafs went all the way (which meant, at the end of August, she’d be getting on a plane to Edmonton, too). She had organized outfits – work and casual. She made sure to bring entertainment. The Louis Vuitton duffel bag they all got her for her birthday definitely came in handy. William had packed some clothes and shoes. Made sure to pack the basic necessities. He’d texted guys on the team to see what they were bringing in so he didn’t forget anything. He wasn’t the best packer. 

Now, all that was left was to spend time together before they couldn’t anymore. 

William didn’t want to go straight into sex. There was no point. The sex was great but what he wanted, more than anything, was intimacy – to be able to hold Aberdeen and feel her body pressed up against his; to be able to take in her scent as he always did and be calmed by it as he always was; to be able to bury his face in the crook of her neck and graze his lips along her skin there so delicately it made her shiver; to whisper _‘I love you’_ over and over again to her while “Quitting You” by the Arkells played on a constantly loop quietly in the background of their time together. This is what he would miss. Florida was different – they were a country away from each other, and it was hard. But to have her working with them, in the same bubble, while everyone was around, _on the same floor_ , and _not_ be able to get her alone, go to her hotel room, even hold her hand? It would be torture. 

He laid his head on her chest, hearing and feeling her heart beat as she ran her fingers through his hair. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and buried underneath her – he was sure the circulation would cut off soon but he didn’t care. He closed his eyes, and pictured them holding hands. Openly. Aberdeen was smiling. He pulled her into him and kissed her. They were in the team locker room.

“What are you thinking about?” Aberdeen’s soft voice broke the silence.

“You,” he said simply. “Us.”

“What about us?” she asked.

“Holding your hand,” he said. “Kissing you in the locker room.”

When he shifted his head to look up at her, she was smiling. “Do you hate me because we can’t?”

He shook his head. “I could never hate you, minskatt. You know that.”

“It’ll happen soon. I promise,” she said. “You won’t have to do anymore waiting.”

“Shhhh…” he cooed, moving up and nuzzling his nose against her jawline. “I’m not waiting for anything when you’re here with me, am I?” he asked, placing the lightest of kisses on her jawline.

Aberdeen sighed happily. “When I write my first book, I’m dedicating it to you. It’s gonna say ‘For William, for waiting’,” she said with a slight chuckle. 

He chuckled too. “I look forward to it. Your second book can be dedicated to Siena or Cam or your parents.”

“Second book? I’m writing a second book, am I?” she smiled. 

“Mhm,” he nodded her. “You’re gonna write a bunch of books, minskatt. And they’re all gonna be amazing, and you’ll be all literary or whatever, and everybody’s gonna buy your books.”

Her heart was growing a thousand sizes. “You think so?”

“I know so. You’re gonna be a famous writer, minskatt. I’ll just be in the background.”

She curled around and shifted her body into his. Their lips came together tenderly as they began kissing each other, Aberdeen slipping her tongue into William’s mouth easily. His hands wandered down her body to cup her ass before he helped her hook her leg over his torso. They lay kissing for a while until their lips were red and swollen and their breathless gasps the only sound they could hear in the room. When William pulled away quickly to take a breath, Aberdeen shifted to lay on her back. “Willy?” she asked, her voice breathless.

“Minskatt?”

“Make love to me, Willy. One last time before the bubble.”

He picked her up and brought her to his bedroom, setting her down on the bed gently before crawling over her body and continuing their kissing. With some trusty hands, William’s hoodie was off, then Aberdeen’s top, then Aberdeen’s pants, then William’s pants. He kissed down her body, but she pulled him back up. “Willy—”

“Minskatt—”

“I just need to feel you inside me, Willy. _Please_.”

Somewhat reluctantly, he kissed his way back up her body, paying attention to her breasts for a while before he put on a condom and she wrapped her legs around him and he entered her slowly. Everything was so slow and gentle and intimate, and he’d buried his face into the crook of her neck again to kiss the skin there. When he came back up and looked at her, it was very clear to him that there were tears welling in her eyes. His mind immediately went into overdrive and his body seized up. “Aberdeen? Aberdeen why are you crying?”

“I’m not – no – _no no no_ , it’s not you, _it’s not you_ ,” she let out quickly, cupping his face in her hands. His entire body had stopped moving as he hovered over here. She felt a few tears escape down the sides of her eyes, powerless to stop them. “It’s just me. It’s me.”

“What’s _wrong_?”

“I just love you so much,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “You believe in me, Willy.”

“ _Of course_ I believe in you. I’ll always believe in you. Where is this coming from?”

“It was Florida. Sixty-one days away from you,” she explained. “Now in the bubble we’re going to be together but we can’t be _together_ , and I want you to know how much I love you. You know that, right?”

“I do,” he nodded.

“Whatever happens in the bubble, I believe in you and I’ll _always_ believe in you like you believe in me,” she said.

William’s heart panged at her statement. He craned his head to continue to kiss her, and she could feel tears – not her own – on her cheeks as well. His slow and steady movements, passionate and thorough and pleasurable all at once, reminded her of that love they just spoke of. They made love with everything they had in them. And when they climaxed, and William collapsed on top of Aberdeen’s body, she held him close to her, unwilling to let him go.

He shifted slightly to move out of her, but she tightened her legs around him. “No,” she pleaded. “Stay. I want to feel you inside me for as long as possible.”

“Are you sure?”

“ _Please_ Willy,” she almost begged, although she knew she wouldn’t have to. “Stay. Let’s just stay like this.”

***

**July 26 th, 2020**

Aberdeen’s family had made it to the staff send-off before they went into the bubble. Camden and Siena came along too. Camden made her a card and gave her a crossword puzzles book he’d bought her at Indigo. When Siena hugged her, she said _“Make good choices!”_ jokingly. Their parents would always say it to them before they got out of the car when they were driven to parties or the like.

If Siena only knew.

Once her family left, Aberdeen had the fantastic tasks of preparing the buses and organizing significant others to be far enough away from each other so everyone was still social distancing. _Everybody’s_ significant other was there, save for the single guys like Auston and (to everyone else) William. As she stood off to the side, she couldn’t help but watch.

Bee McTavish was crying. She wasn’t wailing loudly or anything like that, but Aberdeen could see her glistening cheeks from her tears as Morgan couldn’t stop kissing her and she couldn’t stop wiping her eyes. He looked pretty torn up about leaving her, too. She knew all the guys would be. They were excited to play hockey again but they weren’t too sold on the concept of the bubble. Everyone was going to hate being away from their families – Bee and Morgan were no exception. _“Call me whenever you want to,”_ Aberdeen overheard her tell him. _“And if a single thing starts to hurt you please don’t play. You need to be healthy, Morgan.”_

Frederik Andersen and Aleida Casillas couldn’t stop kissing, either. Aleida was getting emotional, although Aberdeen knew that Aleida didn’t want to show it. Fred’s new wedding ring glistened in the light. Aberdeen could only imagine what it was like to leave your wife on your one-month anniversary. 

Jace was giggling at his dad’s kisses. John had spent the last five minutes holding and kissing his baby boy, with Aryne smiling and cuddling them too. Aberdeen could see Aryne’s small bump peeking out through her t-shirt and realized John was going into the bubble while his wife was pregnant and having to take care of a one-year-old. Her heart ached. She saw the smile on John’s face as he cooed at his son and Jace kept repeating _“Dada”_ over and over again and she could feel a rush of emotion flood her face. 

When she saw that Jason had his four girls in a giant bear hug, Aberdeen had to hold in a giant sob. He was crouching down at their level, kissing them all multiple times and whispering things to them as Jen looked on, looking like she was on the verge of tears herself. Jason wouldn’t let them go – _couldn’t_ let them go. Aberdeen had to look away so she didn’t start crying right then and there. It was too much for her to think about. 

“You okay, Aberdeen?” Auston’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and she whipped her head towards him. 

“I’m fine,” she said, trying not to think about the scenes she just saw. “Do you need me to pack your bag in the bus?” she asked.

“I’m not gonna make you _pack my bag_ , Aberdeen,” he said like it was the most absurd thing in the world. 

Aberdeen looked at Auston, but could only see right past him. Behind him, she could see Kappy and Saylor saying their goodbyes. Saylor was hugging Kappy but giving Aberdeen a death stare. Aberdeen focused her attention back on Auston. “How much does Saylor hate me?” she asked.

Auston shrugged. “Wouldn’t know. I don’t talk to her anymore. But from what I hear, a lot.”

“Good to know. What have you heard? Because she thinks I want to sleep with Kappy.”

Auston smiled. “Something like that.” Aberdeen rolled her eyes playfully, smiling back at Auston. “For what it’s worth, she thinks everybody wants to sleep with Kappy,” Auston said. “You know, because he’s just _so_ good looking.”

“You ready for the bubble?” Saylor’s voice suddenly surprised them from behind Auston. Because of their conversation, they hadn’t seen her approach. Auston jumped slightly. He noticed that Saylor was staring directly at Aberdeen.

“As ready as we can be, I think,” Aberdeen said. 

“Just remember what I told you!” Saylor said in a playful tone. “Stay six feet away from my boyfriend!”

“Just for you, Saylor, I’ll make it ten,” Aberdeen winked. “I’ll put a pole between us if that’d what you prefer.”

***

There were cameras everywhere covering their arrival. Naturally, of course, since they were the Toronto Maple Leafs. Aberdeen only hoped that she wasn’t caught in any of the photos. She’d already had enough of _a time_ with her identity and stalkers showing up outside her apartment. She didn’t need people to be lingering outside of the bubble gates for her as well. 

They checked in. Everything was eerie. They could only go up the elevators two at a time with their suitcases after they got their welcome packages and key cards. Aberdeen was situated at the first room to the right side of the elevators. The equipment staff, trainers, doctor, and coaches were in the wing as well. Kyle and Brendan had their rooms opposite each other at the very end of the hallway. The social media person was across from her. A few more of the equipment guys were on “her” side of the hallway. To the left of the elevators were the team rooms. William was the second room in, in the middle between Auston and Mitch. Jason was in the middle of the hallway. She knew these things because – as the executive assistant to perhaps the most important executive there – she got a copy of the room allocations and floorplan. 

When she walked into her room, it was set up like any normal, swanky hotel room. There was a queen-sized bed and a big, beautiful window that looked directly out onto the CN Tower. The bathroom was big and immaculate. Things were practically shining. She hauled her suitcase onto the bed before going to the window to push the curtains open. If she was going to have a view of the city, she was going to milk it for all it was worth. 

When she walked back to her bed, something on the nightstand caught her eye, and she walked over to it. Once she realized what they were, her breath hitched in her throat. She didn’t know who was responsible for this. But it made her so emotional. There were three frames with pictures in them, each more sentimental than the last. In the first frame, there was a mashup of two pictures: one of she and Siena when Siena attended the game in Ottawa, and one of she and Camden when Camden visited right before lockdown. The second picture was the group shot of the outdoor practice, where she was freezing her butt off but having the time of her life. The third, and perhaps the one that hit her the most, was a picture from the Night With the Blue and White. In it, she was posing for a picture with Brendan, Jason, and William, with a champagne flute in her hand. Her smile took up half her face. 

She let out a sob. 

It wasn’t that she looked so happy. It wasn’t that she could still remember the way William smelled that night. It wasn’t how less than ten hours after the picture was taken, she and William had sex and admitted they wanted to be in a secret relationship. It wasn’t that they had followed through with that promise now for months. It was that the picture depicted _normalcy_. Her job. Brendan. Jason. William. It depicted life before masks, before social distancing, before hand sanitizer being more readily available than water, before lining up outside of grocery stores. It depicted a life that seemed so far in the past. Giant gathering. Group photos. Seeing someone teeth when they smiled. Putting your arms around another person for a hug.

Now, she found herself alone in a hotel room, within an artificially created bubble, for a hockey team, with no physical contact with the outside world. Nothing about this was normal. _Nothing_.

***

William decided to call Aberdeen. Everybody was holed up in their rooms unpacking everything they bought, and the hotel was eerily quiet for so many people staying in it. He figured it was because the hotel was old, and its walls were solid – none of this new construction, shitty craftsmanship. These building was built by fucking donkeys, as evidence by the photographs in the lobby. Donkeys and stone; so these walls were thick. Some of the boys had checked up on him to make sure his PlayStation set up had gone smoothly. It did. But William could care less. 

“Hello?” Aberdeen answered her phone.

He could immediately tell she’d been crying. “What’s wrong, minskatt?”

“These damn pictures they put up in my room,” she admitted immediately – no need to beat around the bush. “They framed the one we took with Jason and Brendan during the Night With the Blue and White.”

William understood completely how and why that would affect her. “Yeah, I get it. They put a bunch of pictures of my family. Well, my parents and my sisters.”

“No Alex?”

“He’s too ugly to be in a picture,” William deadpanned. He heard Aberdeen snort slightly on the other end. He found solace in the fact that he was able to make her laugh. “The pictures really got to you, huh?”

“It wasn’t just that,” she said. “Just seeing all the families say goodbye to each other. I watched John say goodbye to Jace and it made me emotional, but then I saw Jason saying goodbye to his girls and I absolutely lost it,” she revealed. “I kept it together for the bus ride but the second I got in here and saw these pictures, it was, like, a tidal wave.”

“How can I make it better?” William asked. He knew this would be hard on her – being in the bubble – and although he cautioned against it, Aberdeen made her own decision at the end of the day, and he respected that. It didn’t mean the bubble experience would be any better for her, but at least she made the decision herself and she came into it knowing what she was getting herself into. Aberdeen wasn’t a stupid girl. Far from it. 

“You wanna just stay on the phone with me? So I can hear your voice?” she asked timidly.

“Of course,” he answered, equally as softly. She could practically see and feel his smile through the phone. “Want to practice your Swedish with me, minskatt?”

***

**July 27 th, 2020**

_“A girl?!”_

Aberdeen’s ears turned red as she heard the gasp from behind her near the conference room where the Leafs were designated to eat all their meals. She was apparently a novelty. Because they had to stay holed up in their hotel rooms for most of the day, unless it was a pre-planned excursion or meal, she hadn’t seen any other women. It was awful. And now this.

She looked behind her as discreetly as she could. She saw two men – _boys_ – wearing New York Islanders t-shirts staring at her. She recognized them immediately as Mat Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier. She glared at them.

_“Is she here delivering the food?”_

_“She has a badge, you idiot.”_

_“You’re telling me she works for the team and they brought her into the bubble?”_

She wanted to scream at them. But she didn’t have to. Kyle Dubas appeared out of nowhere right beside her, clutching a coffee and a banana. “Miss Bloom,” he greeted her formally, and loud enough so Mat and Anthony could hear. “Shanahan is going to need those CORSI stats for Matthews and Tavares after we eat.” He glanced at them quickly. “Boys,” he nodded a greeting.

They scurried away.

Aberdeen looked at Kyle. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Does Shanny really need those CORSI stats?” she asked.

“No,” Kyle shook his head. “I said that so they wouldn’t fuck with you.”

***

**July 28 th, 2020**

Aberdeen was waiting for the exhibition game to start. Yet again, she was experiencing her _second_ exhibition game for a hockey team she never thought she would work for, let alone for this long. She was in their usual box with Kyle and Brendan, but it felt different. No fans. No other personnel. The only other people around were the extra players sitting in the seats below them. The media was around somewhere, but nowhere near her. The boys were warming up on the ice. 

“You okay?” Brendan asked as he looked at her.

Aberdeen nodded. “Are _you_?”

“As okay as I can be,” he shrugged. “I don’t get nervous about exhibition games.”

“Did you think I’d be here long enough for _two_ sets of exhibition games?” Aberdeen asked, wiggling her eyebrows slightly. 

He huffed, giving her a joking look. She began giggling. “To be honest… _no_.”

“Yeah, me neither. Don’t worry.”

***

Thirty-three seconds into the first period, Ilya Mikheyev scored off a pass from John Tavares that Aberdeen had seen one hundred times in training camp. She smiled wide. 

Hockey was back.


	33. Chapter 32

**August 2 nd, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was as prepared as she could be for Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Scotiabank Arena was freezing – more freezing than normal – because of the three-games-a-day and all the hockey being played. She knew the players and team personnel would complain if the ice was crap (apparently they could tell, though it beat the shit out of her _how_ they could tell), and of course Scotiabank Arena, and the Leafs in general, wanted to make an excellent impression. They were the centre of the hockey world, so Aberdeen knew they could pull it off. It just didn’t help that it was August and it felt like early November indoors.

She joined Brendan and Kyle in their usual box – luckily they didn’t have to give that up. The team was taking their pre-game skate below and Aberdeen watched as William shot pucks towards Freddie in the net, sneaking one past him before skating around their perimeter of the rink a few times. On the other side of the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets were doing the exact same thing, though she barely knew or recognized a soul on the team. One of them could walk by her in the arena and she wouldn’t know better. 

“How do you think it’s gonna go?” Brendan asked from six feet away from her, his black mask covering his face.

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “You should stop asking me these questions, Brendan. I know nothing about hockey.”

“That may be,” he said, not letting up, “but you know the boys, on a level far superior than your knowledge of hockey. So what do you say?”

Aberdeen thought about it. She knew them on a personal level, but that didn’t matter at all – at least she didn’t _think_ it mattered – when it came to a playoff game. She knew how much pressure the guys were under. She also knew that they were still adjusting to the bubble life and how weird everything was. Make no mistake – they were being taken care of exceptionally well by the staff at the Royal York Hotel, and Aberdeen made sure she said a loud thank you to every worker she came across and interacted with. She heard every single one of the guys do the exact same thing. But she didn’t know how that would translate into a hockey game. They were two different things. They were to different entities that she had no idea how to join together. 

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, her voice soft. “When you ask me these questions, I feel like you want me to be Nostradamus or something. What if I said they were going to lose 2-0?”

“I’d believe you,” Brendan shrugged.

***

The Leafs lost 2-0.

“C’mon Nostradamus,” Brendan said as he packed up his clipboard and tucked it under his arm. “The social media posts can wait. You need to go mediate the post-game interviews and press calls.”

Aberdeen packed up her iPad after she rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t have said anything. She should have responded _‘They’re going to win 5-0!’_ the first time he ever asked her that question and kept that answer throughout the entire season. She followed six feet behind Kyle, who was in turn six feet behind Brendan, as they made their way to the locker room. By the time they got there, Sheldon was nearing the end of his post-game speech. Most of the guys were half undressed – at least at the top – and a few of them were shoving off their elbow pads and chucking their tape from their socks into the bins. They all looked irritated.   
  


She made her way into the media room and set up the Zoom call where a bunch of reporters joined. Morgan and Auston walked into the room, and she quickly typed in the chat which players were there so they could organize their questions accordingly. Morgan and Auston sat down in their chairs. 

“Is Steve on the call?” Auston asked suddenly while Aberdeen was adjusting the camera.

“Uh, yeah. Why?” she asked.

Auston pursed his lips together and shrugged it off. 

The interviews were going fine. She hated hearing the sound of her own voice on recordings but she knew she’d have to suck it up for the sake of the media call. She called on each reporter by name. The boys answered their questions. It was all very routine. 

“Steve Simmons from the Toronto Sun,” Aberdeen called out. She waited, and while waiting, she saw Morgan’s and Auston’s demeanour completely change. 

“Uhhh, Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun for Auston – it’s one thing to hear about how tight they play, and to even watch the films of how tight they play. What was it like to experience it?”

Auston took the lead. “Uh, well I mean first of all, it’s unfortunate that I’mn getting a question from you at this point, Steve, but I just wanted to say I didn’t really appreciate the article you wrote about me a couple months ago. I thought, uh, it was very unethical to be honest, but…uh, moving along…”

Aberdeen didn’t hear the rest of his answer. Truthfully, she didn’t care. All she could feel was a burning sensation shooting up her spine at Auston’s words. He did it. He called out Steve Simmons, the most annoying reporter known to mankind. 

She smirked.

***

After the media interviews, Aberdeen found a quiet space and took out her iPad again to post the final score graphic to the team’s Instagram page. As she finished typing the caption – _‘Battled hard. Back at it on Tuesday.’_ – she heard some fairly loud footsteps behind her before they stopped. “A girl?” a voice from behind her said.

She didn’t recognize it – and it wasn’t like anybody from the team would refer to her as “a girl” – so she furrowed her brows and turned around. She saw what had to be a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets staring at her. She couldn’t see it, but she automatically knew from the way he was standing and the energy he gave off that he was smirking smugly underneath his mask. “Yeah, we exist,” she shot him a look, not ready to take any bullshit from him or anybody else. The way these men thought she was a complete novelty astounded her. “Have you never seen one of us before?”

“So Barzy _was_ right,” the man continued. “The Leafs have a _girl_ in their bubble. Incredible.”

Aberdeen could tell by the way he said and emphasized girl that this conversation – if you could call it that – was gonna be a doozy. The guy was huge but didn’t look any older than she was, so she knew she would be able to put him in his place. “What are you even doing in this hallway? You’re not supposed to be on this side,” she said sternly. “I suggest you leave and go back to your area of the arena unless you want me to complain to the NHL that your breaching protocol.”

From the very end of the hallway, another figure walked by, stopping at the gap when he apparently found who he was looking for. Aberdeen could at least recognize him – John Tortorella, the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. “Pierre, what the fuck are you doing there? Come on, we gotta go.”

The man, named Pierre, gave Aberdeen a smoldering look. She rolled her eyes. “Must have taken a wrong turn,” he said, loud enough so John would hear.

Dead set on not taking any bullshit, and just really, _really_ wanting to put this guy in his place, Aberdeen didn’t let up. “Perhaps you should remind _Pierre_ of how to speak to the staff of another NHL team,” she said sternly. Both men were too far away to notice how red she was getting, but _she_ could see Pierre whip his head to look at her and his eyes go wide in shock. “And perhaps he should read another copy of the social distancing and bubble protocols tonight in his bedroom so he doesn’t make this unfortunate _decision_ again,” she said, deliberately using ‘decision’ instead of ‘mistake’, because she fucking knew this was no mistake. She wondered what other rumours were swirling in the Royal York about a _girl_ being in the Leafs bubble. 

Pierre scurried to the end of the hallway. From her spot, she could hear John chuckle. “You must be the Aberdeen Bloom I’ve only ever heard good things about,” he said. “Keep it up. I might ask you to take my place to keep the boys in line.”

She couldn’t help but smile. Pierre took one last look between his coach and _‘the girl’_. “I could take ‘em,” Aberdeen commented, getting a nod from John before he and Pierre disappeared.   
  


She let out a breath. 

***

After the team got back to the hotel, picked up their pre-packaged dinner, and settled into their rooms, Aberdeen showered and changed. She sat at the desk where she put the meal and took out her phone. She sent some quick texts to her parents, Siena, and Camden before bringing up William’s name.

_U up?_

_lmao minskatt_

_isnt that what i should be saying to u *wink emoji*_

_Do you want to eat dinner together?_

_of course_

_I’m ready whenever you are babe_

She waited for him to start the call. Not even two minutes later, her phone began to ring and “Head Empty” flashed across the screen. She accepted the FaceTime call almost immediately. When it connected and he appeared on her screen, walking in his hotel room with his bathrobe on and his hair wet and tied back, she smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi minskatt,” he said, his voice low. She watched as he put a pair of headphones on. “That’s better.”

Hers were already in. “I’m sorry about the game tonight,” she said, perching her phone on a high point on the desk. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not really. At least, not right now,” he said, putting his phone down too. “Maybe later. Like, after we have dinner.”

“Promise me we will.”

“I promise,” he said, looking into the phone. He knew she would want him to talk about it, and he made her a promise all those months ago. He would never break it. “Right now I just want to have dinner over FaceTime with my girlfriend even though we’re less than fifty feet away from each other.”

Aberdeen chuckled, if only because she agreed wholeheartedly that this whole thing was ridiculous. The tone of William’s voice made her know that he thought it completely ridiculous too. “It’s hard. I know. At least we get free food,” she held up a forkful of the marinated chicken breast. “And _good_ food. It’s not like it’s airplane food.”

William smiled slightly. “First thing I do when we get out of here is bring you to Canoe or Ardo or Miku and splurge on every meal they have on the menu,” he said. 

“Sounds good to me. Maybe by then I’ll have a new job to celebrate, anyway.”

“How’s the article coming along?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. She’s started in the other day and already had about 1500 words worth of material. She figured the best way to go about it was keep a sort of diary every day and then edit it down when she could. “Might talk about how fucking awkward you hockey boys are these days with women.”

“I’m excluded from that, right?” he asked. “I mean, I totally swept you off your feet when we first met.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “You did.”

***

**August 3 rd, 2020**

Aberdeen accompanied the team to one of the workout facilities just so she could catch a glimpse of sone sunshine on the day off. Instead of working out, she sat on the sidelines of where all the equipment was and the boys worked out, furiously typing away on her personal laptop. Every so often when she’d glance up, she’d see Morgan’s thighs almost ripping through his shorts as he did some lunges; she’d see Auston’s biceps almost bursting through his sleeves as he lifted weights above his head; she’d see William’s thick torso exposed as his shirt rode up from him throwing a heavy medicine ball above his head. 

A million girls in this city would kill her to be in her position.

And here she was, writing 10,000 words about them instead of ogling them. Well, everyone except her secret boyfriend.

***

**August 4 th, 2020**

Game 2. 

Aberdeen was confident that the boys would respond to Columbus’s win in Game 1. She could tell in their energy throughout the day and in the arena they were _ready_ and they were ready to _win_. 

“Hey Nostradamus,” Brendan called out, winking. Aberdeen saw Kyle chuckle from behind his mask. “What’s the score gonna be?”

“Oh shut it,” she shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking to herself. Except she couldn’t hold her tongue. “3-0, but this time for us.”

“I believe her!” Kyle piped up. 

Brendan snorted. “Who’s placing bets?!”

The bell rang and everybody settled down to stand for the anthem. As the game got underway, Aberdeen could feel rushes of electricity move up her spine every time the Leafs touched the puck. They were playing _phenomenally_. They looked focused, into it, and like a complete team. It was a night and day difference from Game 1. Though the first period didn’t have any goals, Aberdeen knew they’d be coming – for the Leafs _only_.

In the second period Auston scored and Aberdeen jumped out of her seat to celebrate. And when John scored late in the third period to get a two goal lead, she was even happier. 

Then, with less than two minutes left, disaster hit. 

It was a play behind the net. Pierre Luc Dubois – the guy from the other day, Aberdeen had learned – basically cross-checked Jake Muzzin, and Jake fell awkwardly, trying to break it, with his head hitting a Blue Jackets player’s leg. He fell to the ice. 

He wasn’t getting up. And the referee hadn’t blown the whistle. 

Those _fuckers_.

“ ** _BLOW THE FUCKING WHISTLE!!!_** ” Aberdeen screamed at the top of her lungs, startling Brendan and Kyle. Her face was turning red. She was sure she’d been so loud the referee actually heard her, because he finally blew it. Jake was having a hard time getting up, and then he lay back down. One of the trainers immediately made his way onto the ice, rushing towards Jake.

The replays began to play from every angle, and Aberdeen watched on the TV screen in the box how his head and neck contorted once he hit the player’s thigh. She had tears in her eyes as she watched the worst angles. She looked back out onto the ice to see Jake still lying there. The trainer was still with him, though more were making their way onto the ice now. Then, she saw one of the trainers put his hands near Jake’s neck. They called for a stretcher. 

She bolted out of her seat.

“Aberdeen!” she could hear Brendan call out after her, but she didn’t listen. She didn’t turn around. She hurried down to ice level, her mind running a mile a minute, and flashed her credentials to anyone and everyone she needed to, not bothering to stop so they could actually see them. 

By the time she got to ice level, she could hear the distant sound of sticks tapping, letting her know he was being stretched off. She met all the trainers and the stretcher at the entrance. “Jake?!” she asked frantically. 

“Aberdeen?” he asked. 

“Are you okay? Did you break your neck?!”

“I didn’t break my neck. I can feel my arms and legs,” he said. Aberdeen let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “Did it look scary?”

“Is that a joke?” she asked. “I ran down here the second they called for the stretcher.”

“We’re going to take him to the hospital. He’s going to have to leave the bubble,” the head trainer informed Aberdeen. “You need to tell Brendan and Kyle. Then update us on the protocol of what it will take to get him back into the hotel.”

Before she could acknowledge what was just said, Jake spoke up again. “Aberdeen?”

“Yeah Jake?”

“You need to call Courtney for me. Tell her I’m okay,” he said. “She’s probably worried sick.”

Aberdeen’s heart sunk into her stomach. _Courtney_. “Yeah yeah, of course—”

“—You have her number, right—”

“—We really need to get him to the hospital—”

“—Yeah, I have her number—”

“—Call Courtney, please,” were Jake’s last words before he was stretchered off.

Aberdeen watched until they were out of her line of sight. For a few moments, the images of what just happened flashed through her mind, and she momentarily forgot about everything. She felt sick to her stomach. Jake _said_ he felt okay, but she knew hockey players always just said that. Morgan had been playing injured for the better part of the year until he _actually_ got injured. High sticks to the face, lost teeth, blood drawn – these guys just put a bandaid on it and said they were fine. But this was different. 

When Courtney’s face crossed her mind, she jolted back to life and grabbed her phone out of her pocket, scrolling until she found Courtney’s number. The phone didn’t even have to ring twice. “Aberdeen?!” she asked frantically. “How’s Jake?”

“Hey Court—he’s okay—”

“He’s okay?!”

“Well, they’re bringing him to the hospital right now,” she said. “But I was able to talk to him because I rushed down to ice level and he told me he was fine and to call you.”

“So you—you were able to talk to him,” Courtney said, her voice much calmer than just moments before. “You saw him?”

“Yes. He told me he could move his arms and legs,” Aberdeen informed her.

“Okay. Okay. Does that mean he has to leave the bubble though? I mean can I go visit him?”

Aberdeen cringed. “I don’t think so,” she said. As she did, she could hear Luna being fussy in the background and Courtney trying to calm her. “The NHL has an agreement with Toronto General about potential injuries. If everything is okay and he comes back into the bubble, all he has to do is pass three negative tests,” she explained, listening to Luna get even fussier. 

“Okay. Alright. But they’ll call me, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m sure Jake will even be able to call you from the hospital. Our trainers all have their phones on them.”

“Thanks Aberdeen,” Courtney said, and Aberdeen could hear the relief in her voice. She knew all Courtney wanted was to hear from her husband. Luna let out a loud cry. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye Court,” Aberdeen ended the call. 

Families. So many of them had families. So many of them had families that were suffering and making do with a prolonged absence and Aberdeen couldn’t take it. The players were sacrificing so much to be in the bubble. And their families were sacrificing so much letting them go into the bubble. She knew most of them had money – to cope, to do whatever, really – but that didn’t compensate for _presence_. That didn’t compensate for having daddy around to play and snuggle with. 

She began to cry as she found herself walking towards the locker room, not even knowing whether or not the game had ended. She didn’t really care at this point. All she could think about was Courtney and Luna at home, worrying about Jake as he was being taken to the hospital. To Aberdeen, nothing else mattered right now. 

She heard some commotion from the locker room and she knew the boys were back in. She didn’t know how long they’d been back for, and didn’t bother to peek in to see. She didn’t want to when her eyes were still red and welling up with tears. Instead, she hid herself around a corner, crouching down with her knees against her chest, wiping at her eyes every so often and trying to control her emotions before having to go in, or getting called by Brendan, or by Kyle, or—

“There you are.”

Well, so much for that.

She looked up from her crouched position and saw Jason looking down at her. He wasn’t completely undressed – he had all his UnderArmour on – but he was still sweaty from the game and his hair was matted against his head. She wiped her eyes one last time before getting up. “Hi.”

“Did you see Jake?”

She nodded. “He’s okay. He can feel and move his arms and legs or whatever.”

“Why are you crying?”

She knew he wasn’t asking to be insolent, but did she really have to have to spell it out for him? “Don’t tell me you’re immune to this shit,” she said. “I just had to call Courtney and explain to her that her husband didn’t break his neck and end his God damn career. Luna was crying in the background. It’s a lot, okay?”

Jason nodded his head. “I know it is. I’m not trying to…fuck, I know that came out wrong. He’s gonna be okay, Aberdeen.”

“Thanks.”

“Come on, Aberdeen,” he said soothingly. “It’s gonna be okay.”

She shook her head, wiping away the last of her tears. “I know. I’m just being a big baby.”

“No you’re not,” Jason said. “You’re not being a big baby. You’re being a human being. Someone you cared about got hurt. Do you want to talk about it when you get back to the hotel?” he asked.

She considered it for only half a second before she shook her head. “No. I know you call your girls every night. I can’t take time away from them.”

“Aberdeen—”

“I’ll be okay,” she asserted. “I promise. I’ll be okay.”

“Aberdeen!” Kyle’s voice suddenly called out. He rushed towards her with his phone in his hand. “They took him to the hospital, right?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, trying to steady her voice and make it seem as professional as possible. “He’s technically left the bubble, so we have to update the trainers on protocol to get him back into the hotel and how—”

“I’ll handle that with Brendan and Josh,” he interrupted. “But he was okay?”

“He could feel his arms and legs. That’s what he told me. Then he asked me to call Courtney and I did that.”

Kyle nodded his head, looking – _really looking_ – at Aberdeen for the first time in their conversation. “Were you crying?”

“I’m going to be fine,” was all she said. 

***

“I’m going to come to your room,” William said through the phone in a strained voice.

“Don’t you dare,” Aberdeen chastised him, a new batch of tears having fallen down her face as she lay in bed. “Don’t you even think about leaving your room, William.”

“Aberdeen, you need me and I _need_ to be with you right now—”

“And _you_ need to stay in your room so you don’t get kicked out of the bubble,” she said sternly. “I’m being serious, Will. _Don’t_ come over.”

She watched as he bit his lip and shook his head. She could see all over his face how conflicted he was. It was one of the things she loved most about him – to the world, he seemed cool and unemotional and that he didn’t really care about anything or take anything too seriously, but to her, he was the entire range of emotions in one conversation. He had a heart full of gold and she knew it would always stay that way. “This is killing me, minskatt,” he whispered, his voice defeated. “I want to be there for you when you need me. _Always_. I mean…you need me, right?”

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know where this was coming from, but like some things with William, she felt like it was something that had been on his mind for a while and was only letting out now. He was still learning to talk to her about his feelings. He was keeping his promise from February, so she could appreciate that. “Of course I need you,” she said softly. “I’ll always need you like you need me. We’re in this together. You know that. But you need to be on this team right now. You need to help them fight. This isn’t about me. It’s about the team.”

“It’s always about you,” William said. “You still don’t get it, do you? It’s _always_ about you.”

“Don’t make it about me right now, Willy. It’s not about me. It’s about Jake, and the team,” she paused for dramatic effect. “Make it about me later,” she added, trying to be humourous.

It garnered a small smile from him, and she felt proud of herself. “I love you, minskatt.”

“I love you too Willy. Promise me you’ll get some sleep?”

He nodded slightly. “I promise.”

***

Aberdeen’s iPhone was still in her hands as she woke again from its vibrations. She jumped at the sensation of being awoken in the middle of the night. If it was Willy calling her at three in the morning, she was gonna kill him. 

“Hello?” her voice was groggy.

The voice on the other end was not William’s. “I lived, bitch.” 

***

**August 6 th, 2020**

It wouldn’t be a Toronto Maple Leafs series without some drama, apparently. And the drama tonight was how the team blew a 3-0 lead, allowing the Columbus Blue Jackets to win 4-3 in overtime, with Pierre-Luc Dubois scoring a hattrick. That meant the Columbus Blue Jackets were now up 2-1 in the series.

It meant the Leafs could go home tomorrow.

Aberdeen tried not to think about it. 

She didn’t bring it up with anybody as they went back to the hotel, and she knew, judging by the looks on their faces, that they didn’t want to hear about it either. Nobody would be turning on their TVs tonight, and she doubted they would check the news on their phones, either. Maybe they’d play video games to take their minds off of it. Or maybe they’d go right to bed and rest, since they had to do all of this again in less than 24 hours. Fuck.

Aberdeen took a shower. She washed her face. She did her skincare. She put on a sheetmask. 

Her phone rang.

She knew it was William, so she tucked herself into bed and accepted the FaceTime call. When he realized that she had a sheetmask on, a smile broke out on his face from ear to ear. “Nice sheetmask,” he said, biting his bottom lip.

She smiled cheekily and shrugged her shoulders. “You’re used to it by now. Shouldn’t come as much of a surprise,” she said.

“I _am_ used to it by now and—oh shit, hold on, I forgot something…” he said, trailing off as he set his phone down so Aberdeen could only see the ceiling in his room. Knowing William, he probably forgot to turn the light off in the bathroom or something. But the longer he took, the more Aberdeen became skeptical of his whereabouts. She barely heard anything on the other end. “There we are…” she heard his voice. And then she saw what he had on his face: a sheetmask. He was still smiling from ear to ear. “Now where were we?” he asked.

“ _William_!” Aberdeen squealed, letting out giggles she couldn’t hold in at the sight of him. He looked ridiculous. It was clearly the first time he’d ever put one on himself. “What in God’s name are you doing?”

“You _love_ these things!” he tried to justify himself. “I brought one because I knew I’d catch you at least once in here with one of these things on. And if we can’t do it together…well, physically, then we can do them together in separate rooms. Like everything else we need to do.”

Her cheeks flushed red – not that he could see. He bought sheetmasks and put them on with her. He gave her time to write. He encouraged her writing. He listened to her. He cared for her. He was even better than anything she could have imagined in a dream boyfriend. How did she get so lucky? How did she let guys treat her like shit before him? She felt tears well in her eyes. He was going all out to make the best of the bubble, and she couldn’t be more thankful. “I love you so much, Willy.”

“I love you too, minskatt.”

“No…I _love_ you Willy. Like _love you_ love you. _Love you love you_ love you. I don’t even have the words…and I’m a writer! You make me speechless, Willy. There aren’t enough words in the English or Swedish languages that I can string together that will, like, tell you or show you how much I love you.”

“I get it, minskatt. Don’t worry. I feel the same way.”

“I don’t know how I got so lucky with you.”

“I annoyed you enough until I wore you down,” he quipped.

She giggled. “You _seduced_ me is what I’d call it.”

“I don’t know about that. If I remember correctly it was _you_ rubbing yourself against my thigh that morning.”

She made a face at him. He made the exact same face back but crinkled his sheetmask so he had to flatten it with his free hand. She watched him with complete adulation. “Willy?”

“Minskatt?”

“Can we listen to our song together?”

William smiled. He fiddled around with his phone and his ‘Minskatt’ playlist until the familiar chords started playing over the phone, filling the air with the nicest, best, most beautiful sound Aberdeen had ever heard – save for Willy’s laugh, maybe – because she knew this song was about her, about them, and it was still their little secret.


	34. Chapter 33

**August 7 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was nervous as fuck. 

It was Game 4, less than 24 hours after giving up a 3-0 lead, and the Leafs were on the brink of elimination. The boys were quiet. Focused. Only had one thing on their mind. They didn’t want to leave the bubble. They wanted to prove everybody wrong – _everybody_. Their coaches. Their bosses. Their fans. Their haters. The media. Themselves. This was their opportunity to show everybody what they could do. 

Aberdeen couldn’t even think about it without trembling. She never in a million years thought hockey would make her feel this way. It didn’t help the love of her life was a major part of it. And it didn’t help that Alec had texted her early this morning.

_Looks like the boys might cost you a writing job if they get eliminated early. Not many shenanigans to get up to in, what, ten days? Article might be a bust._

_I’ll have 10,000 words written for you as promised_ was what she texted back. She didn’t want to stroke his ego, play along with his games, or have him think she wasn’t going to produce just because he thought they might leave early. It didn’t matter to her. Even if they did leave early, she could still do it. She knew she could. She knew she _had_ to, because she couldn’t blow this opportunity.

They morning had been anxiety-ridden at best. She hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep, tossing and turning after getting off the phone with William, and then because of the text, she was barely eating breakfast. Apparently, it was noticeable to the boys, because John had come over to her table and brought her a plate stacked fruit. “If we can eat, _you_ can eat,” he said as he set it in front of her. Mitch ended up coming to sit across from her at the table, and John took the other seat. William approached, standing six feet away, and Auston too. They were _congregating_ , which made her even more nervous. 

“Thanks,” she mumbled, forking a strawberry and putting it into her mouth reluctantly. “You guys aren’t nervous?” she posed the question to all of them.

John shrugged. “We know what we need to do. We just have to go out there and do it.”

Aberdeen didn’t know how he could be so calm, as the captain of the team. Then again, he was John fucking Tavares, and calm seemed to be his middle name. She nodded her head. “I don’t mean to be a nervous wreck. I’m just not used to playoff hockey, as you can imagine. This is all new. I never knew I could feel this way about a sport.”

That made John laugh a bit. “Not about a sport, but definitely about a book, right?”

She couldn’t help but smile slightly as she forked at a piece of watermelon. “ _Definitely_ about a book.”

“How’s the article coming along?” William asked.

Aberdeen almost dropped her fork on her plate. All the guys turned their heads towards him at the same time skeptically, then towards her at the same time, their eyebrows furrowed. Her body felt like it was on fire. She hadn’t told anybody about the article – except William, of course. She assumed Brendan sort-of-kind-of knew since he set her up for it, but she hadn’t said anything to him. William was the only one who knew. Her cheeks flushed red. 

“What article?” Mitch asked, turning his head back and forth between the two of them once more.

“Yeah, what article?” Auston asked.

“It uh, it’s—um, it’s a thing for Toronto Life,” Aberdeen stuttered out. 

“Toronto Life?!” Mitch repeated excitedly. 

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly. “Brendan uh, Brendan put me up for it. It’s, like…an audition. I don’t know.”

“An audition? So like if it’s good they’ll publish it?” Mitch kept asking questions.

“Basically, yeah.”

“Well what’s it about?”

Aberdeen gulped. “Um, life in the bubble.”

The boys looked taken aback for a brief moment. She knew they were trying to hold back the emotion, but she could see it in their eyes. She wondered if they were thinking the worst now. She wondered if Auston was looking at her and thinking that all she wanted to do in this bubble was get a scoop like Steve Simmons. She wondered if Mitch was looking at her and thinking that she was going to write some scathing article about how he was being paid $10.8 million to _not_ show up in the playoffs, like most articles were saying. She prepared for the worst, honestly. She really did. Because she knew these guys had been betrayed before. She knew the media were constantly down their throats. She knew all they wanted was a little reprieve from that. And now, someone they knew, someone they worked with – someone they _trusted_ completely – was writing something about life in the bubble? When she was in the bubble _with them_?

“Life in the bubble, huh? So, like how we play video games the entire day ‘cause we can’t do anything else in here?” Mitch asked.

Her stomach was in knots. But that follow-up from Mitch was definitely _not_ was she was expecting. Truth be told, she didn’t know _what_ she was expecting – anger, maybe? Caution? Suspicion? – but it definitely wasn’t Mitch saying that. “Something like that,” she said. “I’m trying to, like, capture how hard it is for you guys to be in here. How hard it is to be away from your families. How you guys are…you know, _human_ , and not just _hockey players_.”

Mitch smiled. “I think it’s gonna be a great article, then.”

“How’d William know?” Auston asked. “How’d he know before any of us?”

William knew he had to think fast. “I saw her writing it the other day when we went out to the gym,” he said. He _had_ approached her on the sidelines that day for a brief minute or two, during a break in his workout, so if anyone was paying attention and saw them, it was an entirely plausible scenario. “She told me what she was writing.”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us?” Auston asked him.

“Because it was Aberdeen’s news to tell, not mine,” William said.

Auston looked towards Aberdeen. “You’re not writing, like, gossip about us, are you?” he asked.

“Auston, what the fuck—” William began.

“Buddy—” Mitch intervened.

“Hey now—” John piped up.

“No no, it’s fine,” she waved the boys off, staring directly at Auston. She knew exactly where Auston was coming from. She knew he trusted her. He admitted so during the phone call when his Covid-19 story became national news. She knew she had to be one hundred percent honest with him if he was going to have no qualms or suspicions about this article. “They _want_ me to. They want me to write about shenanigans. The stereotypical stuff. But I’m not. I refuse to. I wouldn’t…you guys _know_ I wouldn’t do that to you. And I mean…I—I haven’t _told_ them yet that I refuse to pander to that shit, but they’ll know when they get my article.”

Auston’s entire demeanour softened at her words. It was like his entire body relaxed. He knew – he always knew – he just needed the affirmation. But then he realized what that meant. “But then what happens if you don’t get the job because you don’t give them what they want?” he asked. 

Aberdeen shrugged. “Then I have keep looking for writing jobs at other magazines.”

Then and there, he realized what was on the line for Aberdeen.

***

As Aberdeen wallowed in her room, she was nervous. As she showered before the game, she was nervous. As she did her hair, she was nervous. As she got dressed, she was nervous. As she opened her door and walked out into the hallway, meeting some of the guys, she was nervous. When she got off the bus and the team went one way while she, Brendan, and Kyle went another, she clutched at her iPad pro. She looked at the boys one last time, catching Willy’s eye, before the disappeared down the hallway, where no doubt a photographer was waiting to get pictures of their outfits before they went into the locker room.

As she sat in the box with Brendan and Kyle, as always, she saw Brendan look her way. “Don’t even think about asking me how it’s gonna go tonight,” she said before he could even open his mouth. 

He held his hands up in front of him. “Excuuuuuuse me.”

“I’m so nervous. I barely ate today,” she elaborated.

“Somebody get Aberdeen a Coca Cola,” he called out to no-one in particular. “She’s gonna need the sugar and the caffeine or else she’ll crash by the third period.”

She couldn’t believe how light-hearted he was being. She didn’t know if it was some type of coping mechanism or if it was because he was generally in a good mood. “How can you be so…calm? Such a jokester?”

Brendan shrugged. “If I was doom and gloom all the time, I wouldn’t still be president.”

***

Aberdeen was on the verge of tears. 

Cam Atkinson had scored in the first period. Vladislav Gavrikov scored in the second period. Her heart was heavy. Her stomach was in knots. And now, the impossible: she was watching Jason Spezza fighting. _The last person who should be fighting_. A part of her understood what he was doing, somewhat – trying to fire up the guys – but the other part of her kept asking _why the fuck does he have to do this? Where the fuck are they? Why aren’t they playing? WHY AREN’T THEY PLAYING?!_

“I can’t believe they’re fucking doing this to him,” she mumbled under her breath through gritted teeth as she watched Jason skate off the ice. Her knuckles were white for how tightly her hands were in fists in front of her mask. Her leg was bouncing uncontrollably. She couldn’t believe what was happening.

“What was that?” Brendan asked, apparently hearing her, his own voice indiscernible but also just…void of any emotion. 

She glanced at him quickly before shaking her head. “Nothing.” She looked over at Kyle. She couldn’t tell what he was feeling, either. What was it with these men and being so stoic? 

She pressed the palms of her hands together and intertwined her fingers. “God, if you love me…” she began, mumbling into her hands. “If you love me, God, don’t let them go out like this. Not. Like. This.”

***

Boone Jenner scored in the third period. It was 3-0. This was it. 

Aberdeen had to come to terms with the fact that they were leaving early. She had to come to terms with the fact that the boys would lose, _again_. They’d be out of the bubble. She knew that was probably a silver lining, but these guys so desperately just wanted to play hockey and play hockey and _win_ , and for them to crash out like this was just going to be the _worst_. They’d never hear the end of it. Bee McTavish told her about last year, about how they lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 and how hard it was on the boys, particularly Morgan, and how awful the media was to them, and Aberdeen didn’t want to think about what the media would say now. She didn’t want to think about what they’d say about Fred. About Mitch. About Morgan. About John.

About William. 

But just as Aberdeen came out of her thoughts, she noticed something weird on the ice. It wasn’t the regular line out there. Sheldon was doing something different. It was…well, it seemed to be the nuclear option. All the top goal scorers were on the ice. William, Mitch, Zach, Auston, and John. Hustling all over the ice. Passing the puck. Shooting at the net.

And then, with just less than four minutes left, William scored.

Aberdeen jumped out of her seat and screamed. The boys celebrated briefly, but they knew more work needed to be done. She looked over at Brendan, who wasn’t blinking as he looked down at the ice. She looked at Kyle, who wasn’t blinking either. 

“Please God…please…” she whispered to herself.

Sheldon kept out the nuclear option. They were young. They could do it. 

John Tavares scored only forty seconds later. 

“Holy fucking shit,” Aberdeen stood up from her seat, saying her words loud enough for Brendan and Kyle to hear. “Holy fucking shit. _Holy fucking shit_.” 

She barely breathed a single breath for the next two and a half minutes. She was standing with her hands over her mouth over her mask and her body was completely still as she watched every move on the ice like a hawk.

William, to Auston, to Zach, who scored to tie it at 3-3.

“ _HOLY FUCKING SHIT_!!!!!” she screamed as the boys _really_ celebrated on the ice now. She banged her fists on the counter in front of her as she watched Zach jump on top of William as all the boys on the ice huddled together excitedly. She swore she heard some happy swears from Kyle, and she _definitely_ heard some happy swears from the extra players who were sitting in the seats right below them where the seat covers ended. She barely remembered the period ending. 

“They’re gonna fucking do it,” she said to no-one in particular. “ _They’re gonna fucking do it._ They’re gonna make a comeback.”

Everything was a blur as Aberdeen sat back down into her seat. The overtime period. The lines. The minutes. She felt like she was in the twilight zone – some alternate universe where time stood still and nothing else mattered besides hockey. Not even just hockey – nothing else mattered besides _this game_ and what was happening _right here, right now_. Seven minutes into overtime, Morgan drew a tripping penalty. An enraged Nick Foligno was sent to the penalty box. The puck dropped. It was passed. Marner to Tavares. Tavares to Matthews.

Auston let it rip and scored.

“WHAT!!!!! WHAT!!!!!” Aberdeen screamed louder than she ever had in her life as she jumped up from her seat like a rocket and threw the pen she was holding out into the stands. She began pumping her fist in front of her and pointing out onto the ice. “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, BABY! _THAT’S_ WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” she shrieked, her jaw somewhere between her face and the floor but her smile taking up her entire face. Then came the excited, can’t-believe-what-I-just-witnessed high pitched uncontrollable laughs. She looked over to Brendan and Kyle. They were stoic. She liked to believe they already freaked out and she missed it.

“Down 3-0 in the third period!” she screamed at them. “Down 3-0 in the third period! Can you believe it?!”

“What are you doing waiting up here? Go down there,” Brendan said, nodding his head towards the exit. 

Aberdeen bolted out of the box and rushed towards the locker room as quickly as her feet could take her. Once she got there, she saw the boys filing in, screaming _‘Woooo!’_ s and _‘Let’s fucking go, baby!’_ s. William entered the locker room first. He noticed her standing in the room almost immediately and rushed over to her.

She held her breath. 

He picked her up and spun her around, causing her to squeal until he set her down. He was wet and sweaty and she could see the droplets of sweat dripping down his face but _God_ if he didn’t look incredible and like the perfect human specimen. “Let’s gooooo!” he screamed once he set her down.

“Let’s gooooo!” she repeated, noticing more of the boys make their way in. Clifford. Spezza. Kerfoot. Barrie. Kasperi. Hyman. Engvall. Rielly. Tavares. Holl. Dermott. Everybody. _Everybody._ They all came in screaming and did the exact same thing that William did, lifting her up and spinning her around excitedly as they continued to scream and go their stalls and start stripping in front of her. They probably weren’t allowed to do that – they definitely _weren’t_ allowed to do that, be that close together – but it didn’t matter right now. Nobody cared.

“You guys gave me a fucking heart attack!” she yelled at them, clutching her heart as she looked around the room at all of them. She saw a couple of them giggling as they undid their hockey tape and threw it into the garbage.

“Wouldn’t have been a Leafs series without one!” Morgan joked.

Sheldon walked into the room and high-fived Aberdeen. Then Auston walked in and the boys started screaming and yelling all over again. “Let’s fucking _goooo_ , Aberdeen!” he screamed as he picked her up too, one last twirl, before setting her down. “Let’s fucking go, baby!” he screamed to everyone in the room.

It was at that point that Brendan and Kyle walked into the room. Aberdeen composed herself as much as possible as she faded into the background, watching Sheldon give his post-game speech. Everybody looked so happy. So excited.

_They could fucking do this_.

***

Aberdeen was typing like a furious mad woman in the Notes on her phone. She wanted to write – _needed_ to write all the authentic feelings that were in the air right now as she waited on the bus for everyone. She needed to remember this moment. Every single detail of it. What was said. What was heard. The smiles. The spins. How she was still dizzy. 

“Hey Aberdeen! You made it on to TV!” Mitch yelled from the middle of the bus.

Everyone’s head popped up, and she watched as all the guys already on the bus took off their headphones. “What?!” she shrieked.

“They caught you celebrating in the box!” he said, turning his phone and showing her the video.

Aberdeen heard all of the boys get up out of their seats and crowd behind her to watch the video. She noticed the Sportsnet logo on the bottom of screen first and foremost, then listened as she heard the announcers describing the scene, which they replayed in _slow fucking motion_. “I think that young lady is indicative of most of Leafs Nation right now!” she heard Jim Hughson’s voice as the video showed her jumping up from her seat and throwing her pen. The boys behind her were howling as they watched, and when she began pumping her fist in front of her, they laughed some more. Slightly embarrassed, Aberdeen buried her head in her hands and shook her head. “It’s always me! Why is it always me that gets caught doing these things?!”

“The camera loves you, Aberdeen!” Mitch giggled. 

“It happens to all the wives and girlfriends at some point,” Morgan said as most of the guys went back to their seats on the bus. 

“But I’m not a wife. Or a girlfriend!”

She could tell Morgan was smiling behind his mask. “Not yet,” he mumbled to himself, shrugging.

Aberdeen turned red. She sat back down in her seat and continued typing away on her phone furiously, making sure nobody saw her skin hue.

***

It was only when everybody got back to the hotel when Aberdeen had to stop typing, but by then, she was sure she’d gotten every feeling. Everybody was still buzzed as they rode two at a time in the elevator up to their floor, and she could still feel the energy even when she was bottled up in her room – like everybody else – and it was eerily silent after just having been so loud.

She had just finished changing into her pajamas when she heard her phone buzz. She knew it was William texting, so she grabbed her phone immediately, ready for his request to FaceTime.

_open ur door really slowly so it doesn’t make any noise_

Her eyes bulged out of her head. She set her phone down and rushed over to her door, not bothering to look out the peephole, but doing exactly what she was told. She opened it slowly, carefully, making sure not to make a peep. She looked out into the hallway, down to the other wing, and saw William’s head popping out of his own room. He rushed out, closing the door quietly before rushing over to her wing.

“William,” she whispered. Her heart was beating out of her chest. He was not allowed to do this. _He was not allowed to do this_. She watched as he made his way over. “William what are you—”

She was silenced by his slipping past her and into her room, putting his hand over hers to shut the door slowly so it didn’t make a clicking sound. When it was closed, she tried one more time. “Willy—”

Her attempt was futile. He crashed his lips against hers, wrapping his arms around her as he squeezed her against his body, so much so that he could lift her up in his arms and she could wrap her legs around his torso. He stuck his tongue down her throat. She moaned out at the sensation before realizing that he was walking them into her bathroom – her bathroom that faced the open area in front of the elevators, and not facing or sharing a wall with her room neighbour. He kicked the door closed with his foot before setting her down on the marble vanity sink, her legs still wrapped around his body keeping him close.

“Take this off,” he mumbled as he tugged violently at her pajama shirt, almost ripping it as she shoved her off her body and threw it across the bathroom. She pulled on his t-shirt too, throwing it in the same direction as they crashed their lips against each other’s again. 

“We’re not supposed to be doing this,” she whispered out after he bit down on her bottom lip and pulled it away from her. “You’re not supposed to be in my room. We’re breaking the rules.”

“Isn’t that half the fun?” he quipped, a small smirk on his face. Aberdeen could feel her body get hot – hotter than it already was. This was so wrong. _So wrong_. He wasn’t supposed to be in her room. They weren’t supposed to be touching. They weren’t supposed to be kissing. They weren’t supposed to be doing _any_ of it, yet here Aberdeen was, her body heating up and her core getting even hotter. She scratched her nails down William’s broad and toned chest as he kissed a trail down her neck and to her breasts, sucking and biting down at her nipples gently, causing her to gasp out.

He immediately put his hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide. He looked up at her from where he was at her breasts. “You can’t be too loud or else we’ll get caught.”

_Oh my fucking God_. Now she _really_ felt her body light up like a fire. She whimpered slightly. “But Willy—” she tried to mumble against his hand.

“Shhhh…” he cooed. “Can you be quiet, Aberdeen? Can you be quiet while I fuck you?” He was waiting for an answer. She felt a shiver run up her spine. She nodded her head. “That’s my girl.”

William continued paying attention to her breasts before kissing his way back up to her lips and sticking his tongue down her throat again. Aberdeen ran her fingers through his hair and tugged on it slightly before scratching down his back and pulling down his trackpants and underwear. He did the same to her, letting his fingers play with the wet folds of her pussy until he heard whimpers from her again. “Quiiiiiet, Aberdeen,” he cooed once more, bringing his hand that was just playing with her pussy up to her lips. 

She grabbed his hand in both her hands and sucked his fingers into her mouth. “I’m not going to be able to,” she whispered, shaking her head. 

William pulled her off the marble vanity, grabbing her hips and spinning her around so her back was against his chest. They were able to see each other through the mirror. Aberdeen watched as William’s hand snaked around her body and down to her hot core again. “You’re going to have to be quiet or we’ll get caught,” he whispered huskily in her ear as he played with her core again. Her legs were shaking at the feeling. She gripped on to the vanity. 

“Fuck me raw, Willy,” she begged. She had her own tricks up her sleeve. If William was going to play this game, she was going to play hers. She watched his reaction in the mirror and could see his pupils dilate. “I started birth control. It’s okay.”

“You what?”

“I started birth control a month ago. It was supposed to be a surprise but—”

“—Aberdeen—”

“— _Please_ Willy,” she begged, her voice breathless. She could feel his hard cock against her body and was so desperate for it, she didn’t care how wrong this was. “Fuck me raw. _Fuck. Me. Raw._ ”

He bent her over the vanity. She stuck her ass out and kept her eyes on him through the mirror, watching as he positioned himself at her entrance, sliding into her easily. She cried out at the sensation, feeling his hand almost automatically cover her mouth to silence her. When he began moving in and out of her, the sound of their flesh smacking together, she didn’t know if she should close her eyes to revel in the feeling of his slick, hard cock filling her up, or if she should keep her eyes open to watch him fucking her hard and fast through the mirror. She chose the latter. She and William had had many sexual escapades before (sexcapades, if you will), but nothing had been as hot or as raw or as dangerous as this was. The exhilaration of doing a completely banned act – banned since they figured out they were working together, even more so banned _now_ – was giving her the ultimate rush. 

His hand was still over her mouth as she arched her back and William pulled her back against his chest. She could feel herself getting close, and when William’s other hand snaked around once more to play with her clit, she tried to cry out but couldn’t. “Are you gonna be quiet when I make you cum?”

She shook her head. “I won’t. I _can’t_.”

He thrusted into her harder, trying to make a point. She whimpered again and his hand somehow tightened around her mouth. “Are you gonna be quiet?” he asked again. She looked at him through the mirror, seeing the absolute fire in his eyes. She knew what he was looking for. She knew he would tease her and tease her and tease her until she agreed to what he was asking. She nodded slowly. He smiled. “Good.”

He quickened his pace, harder and faster and rougher than before, and Aberdeen continued to watch them fucking through the mirror until she could feel closer and closer to her sweet release. Eventually, her legs began to shake, and she could feel an intense orgasm rush through every single inch of her body. She tried to stay as quiet as possible, but the feeling was too much, and her whimpers escaped her, though they were _much_ quieter than the usual vocal performances she usually gave when she and William had sex, and though William still had his hand over her mouth. At the sound of her stifled whimpers she could feel William’s hot cum spill inside her. The feeling was hot and raw and simultaneously everything she imagined it would be and feel like but also completely new and unlike anything she could have ever expected. His own small grunts escaped his mouth as he felt himself empty inside of her, revelling in the feeling of filling her completely. He eventually let go of her mouth, and her body bent over against the marble vanity again, unable to stand up straight due to the long, intense orgasm. He tried to catch his breath as he continued to watch her body shake, the last of her orgasm rushing through her. He could see her chest rising and falling from her trying to catch her breath.

It was a few minutes before Aberdeen and William could regain their breaths. He slipped out of her slowly, and she whimpered again at the loss of him, still bent over the vanity, though she could still feel a slickness between her thighs. She felt his body bend too, his chest on her back, and felt him kiss her shoulders delicately. She craned her neck to get a look at him. “I better get a writing job soon. I don’t think we’re gonna be able to hold it back for much longer,” she whispered.

William giggled – a low, rumbly giggle from his chest as he smiled and continued placing kisses on her shoulder. “I agree,” he whispered back. “We gotta make sure you get that Toronto Life job.”

She bit her lip. “Did it feel good for you?”

He nodded. “Of course. What about for you? Did it feel different?”

“It felt fucking amazing,” she nodded. “It…it _did_ feel different. I…you’re the first one I’ve ever let fuck me raw,” she admitted.

William nodded in understanding. He knew what she was really saying – that this was, at least physically, the ultimate form of trust, and he was the only one in her life, ever, who she trusted that much. “We can keep doing whatever you’re more comfortable with,” he said.

“I liked this. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back,” she giggled slightly. 

William smiled. He pulled her back upright and, at that point, she could stand on her own again. She spun around so she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down to kiss him. They stood in her bathroom kissing for a while until William pulled away slightly. “I love you so much,” he mumbled.

“I love you too.”

“Sorry I made you break the rules…yet again,” he smiled mischievously. 

Aberdeen winked. “Isn’t that half the fun?”


	35. Chapter 34

**August 8 th, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was thinking about last night. _Again_.

And she shouldn’t be. She was having breakfast with the team for God’s sake. Everyone was eating pancakes or waffles or avocado toast and she was fantasizing about William fucking her raw from behind and watching him through the mirror. She could swear she still felt his slick and hard cock inside of her. She could swear she still felt him pounding her from behind and grabbing on to her mouth to silence her and—

“Aberdeen.”

—her whimpering and trying to be quiet and the same time—

“Aberdeen.”

—and his low, guttural grunts as he fucked her and made her be quiet and—

“ _Aberdeen_!”

She snapped out of it. She looked to her right to see Jason looking at her like she was crazy. “Your phone is ringing,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world – because it _was_. The thing was blaring out for God knows how long and she was just sitting there.

She grabbed it, not bothering to look at the number, and brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

“So what did the boys get up to last night?” Alec Young’s voice asked from the other end. 

_That_ brought her back down to earth. She got up out of her seat and made her way towards the doorway, where it would be much quieter. “What did they get up to?” she feigned ignorance.

“You can’t tell me that after a win like that all they did was go to bed,” he said in a tone of voice that made Aberdeen want to punch him through the phone. She couldn’t believe _he_ was the one responsible for editing her piece, that it was _him_ who was a deciding factor on whether or not she got a job with the magazine. “Did they sneak girls into the hotel? Prostitutes? Did they get one for Matthews for scoring the overtime winner?”

Aberdeen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. _William Nylander fucked the president’s assistant. They’ve been carrying on a secret affair for the better part of a year now and nobody has a fucking clue. They were so desperate for each other that they broke every bubble guideline so he could fuck her raw in her bathroom as she bent over the marble vanity. How’s that for a scoop?_ “With all due respect, Alec…”

“Aberdeen, _come on_.”

“I’m trying to take the more balanced approach, the more human side, the—”

“There’s gotta be _something_!”

She sighed again. She knew he was more or less her editor and all, and her job depended on him, but she was on her last nerve. “You want something? Okay, here’s something. Two days ago Courtney Muzzin and her daughter Luna stood outside of the Royal York Hotel with a giant sign on Bristol board that said _‘We love you, Dada’_ and aimed it directly at Jake’s window,” she said, the edge very evident in her voice. “I can’t _lie_ , Alec. I can’t just make up stories about drugs and prostitutes and whatever else you think is going on here. They can fucking sue me.”

“Aberdeen, we need a story. If you don’t give us the story, you’re not working at Toronto Life. That’s it,” he said, hanging up. 

Aberdeen felt her chest tighten. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go back on her morals. She couldn’t just…betray her friends. Her family. Her _work_ family, but her family nonetheless. She had to stay resolute. She was going to get this job, and she was going to get it whether Alec approved of her story or not. She was going to get it whether Alec wanted her there or not. She was going to get it whether he liked her writing or not. She was going to prove him wrong. She was going to do it on her own terms, with her own talent. She was going to bank on herself.

When she got back to her seat, Jason was still eating his breakfast. She picked up her fork and ate a piece of watermelon before moving on to her yogurt parfait. “Who was that?” he asked.

She shook her head slightly, signaling that she didn’t want to talk about it. But when Jason continued looking at her, she knew he wasn’t going to let it pass. “The guy that’s responsible for editing that article I’m submitting to Toronto Life,” she said.

“What did he want?” Jason asked.

She sighed. “He wants a story filled with booze and drugs and women, because he’s convinced so many of you are still like that,” she began. “He thought we would have ordered a stripper or something for Auston last night for scoring his overtime goal. He doesn’t think Courtney and Luna Muzzin standing outside with a sign about loving daddy is going to sell magazines.”

Jason nodded his head in understanding. He’d been around hockey for such a long time – he understood completely where Alec got his mentality from. “And you refuse to write that.”

“It’s not just that I refuse to write it. I _can’t_ write it. None of it would be true. Imagine me writing about you guys with hookers and blow? I’d get sued!”

Jason chuckled. “And he doesn’t get that? How’s this guy an editor for a prominent city magazine?”

“Beats the shit out of me,” Aberdeen shrugged, fiddling around with her spoon. “But…that’s my issue. I’ll figure it out. I’ll write something that will blow his mind and make him wonder why he ever thought he wanted me to write about hookers and blow in the first place.”

Jason smiled. “Atta girl.”

Jason continued to eat as Aberdeen continued to fiddle with her spoon. She looked across the room briefly to see William chowing down on some avocado and a piece of toast. He was scrolling through his phone and, periodically, would look at something Pierre would show him one-third of space away at the table. Less than ten hours ago his body was pressed up against hers. Now they were separated by a sea of tables and hockey players. 

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked Jason suddenly.

“Anything,” he didn’t even look at her when he answered.

She hesitated for a second. “If…I mean…if things don’t go the way we want them to go tomorrow…” she began.

“You mean if we lose,” he interrupted, finally staring her dead in the eye. “You can say the words Aberdeen. It’s okay.”

“If we lose tomorrow…I…what should I do? Like, how should I act? What should I say? I don’t want to make you guys even more upset by saying the wrong thing.”

“I doubt you can make anyone on this team upset—”

“Jason.”

He sighed. He set down his flatware and brought his hands together. “I think being there physically is good,” he began. “Like, just being a presence. Telling the guys you’re there if they want to talk. Don’t bring it up unless we do. Some guys are more open. Others bottle it inside and never want to talk about it. You have to figure out who’s who in that sense.”

“I just want to be a good…support. I don’t want to be that person that seems apathetic because I don’t care about hockey as much as you guys. I know how important this is for all of you. I know how hard you guys are working to get it done. I just want to make sure everybody, like… _knows_ that, you know?”

“They know, Aberdeen,” Jason said confidently. “And I’m not just saying that. Trust me. They know.”

***

“How many words do you have now?” William asked through the FaceTime call. They were lying in bed together. Virtually. As always, he was less than 50 feet away in his own bed. Aberdeen felt cold without his touch, now that she had felt it in the bubble. It took every ounce of strength and willpower within her not to sneak into his room and beg him to fuck her again.

“I’m at five thousand right now,” she answered. “I got a call from Alec today. He’s such a dick.”

“It sucks that you’ll have to work under him. I mean, if he’s even your editor at the magazine. He might work in a different department or whatever.”

Aberdeen shuddered at the thought. Him becoming her boss would be a nightmare. Beth Zadakis – who Aberdeen originally met with – would be the much better choice in her eyes. “Here’s hoping he _is_ in another department,” she bit her lip. “But enough about me, Willy. How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

“I don’t know…” he said, giving his own shrug. “I’m not nervous or anything. I just…I know what I need to do. I know what _we_ need to do. We just gotta do it.”

“D’you remember what I told you before we got in here? That I’ll love you whatever happens?” she asked. William nodded his head. “That still stands. Whatever happens tomorrow, I love you.”

William nodded his head gingerly. “If we lose…” he began softly, “it’s gotta be, like, a media blackout for at least a week. Until they make us do those exit interviews or whatever.”

“Deal,” Aberdeen nodded.

“It’s gonna be bad if we lose, Aberdeen,” he warned her. “You’ve never experienced it before because you don’t watch or whatever, but they’ll be saying a whole bunch of shit—”

“—I won’t listen to any of it—”

“—No, Aberdeen, _listen_ ,” he cautioned, his tone of voice more serious. “They’ll be saying a whole bunch of shit about _me_. I didn’t produce, I didn’t perform, I should get traded, blah blah blah. Same shit, different day. I’m always the scapegoat. I just…I know how emotional you got when you read up on everything near my birthday. I just don’t want you getting upset. I’ll never forgive them anyways, like in general, but I’ll _really_ never forgive them if they make you cry again.”

“I won’t, Willy. I don’t – you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I just want to protect you, minskatt.”

“I know you do,” she smiled softly. “But none of that matters. All that matters is that I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

**August 9 th, 2020**

In the end, it wasn’t shitty play. It wasn’t a patented Leafs Meltdown™. It wasn’t that they weren’t trying. It wasn’t even anything _bad_.

It was just a hot goalie.

That was the most Aberdeen could have asked for, she guessed. She didn’t really know, because at this point, she was devoid of emotion. Everything in her was just…empty. She couldn’t feel a thing. That was, until, the camera showed a close up of the bench, and she saw Jason hunched over, his head down. 

That was when the tears started. She couldn’t care less about Kasperi beside him. It was Jason that she cared about. Here he was, near the end of his career, signed with his hometown team for league minimum trying to chase his dream of winning a Stanley Cup with the team he grew up watching. And now, in this wonky season of benched home openers and valued leadership to a stopped and re-started season due to a global pandemic, everything around him came crashing down. Having to leave his family, his wife, his four daughters, all to chase the dream, all for it to disappear.

“Stop crying,” Brendan said from beside her. She couldn’t discern his voice. He wasn’t giving a command. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t angry. But it was obvious that he wasn’t happy. He barely blinked as he looked down at the ice, hands shoved in his pockets.

Aberdeen wiped her tears quickly with the back of her hand. “Sorry,” she said meekly, knowing she was offering absolutely nothing. 

When the buzzer rang and the teams lined up to shake hands, she made her way out of the box, waiting for Brendan and Kyle to follow. But they didn’t. She waited and waited and waited but they weren’t coming. She peeked back into the room and watched as they stood still, looking down at the ice until the last of the team made their way through the tunnel. Aberdeen realized then that they were staying because the camera was on them. Of course it was. The media was going to squeeze every emotion out of the boys until they were shells of themselves. She bet two of them were being forced into media interviews right now, barely out of their hockey gear.

When they finally made their way down to the locker room, it was eerily quiet. That’s the first thing Aberdeen noticed – the lack of noise. It was so different from just two nights ago when they were all screaming and hugging her. When she walked in behind Brendan and Kyle, and finally saw their faces, she immediately looked for William’s. He looked so defeated. So broken. For a guy who was very apathetic in front of the camera, making it looked like nothing phased him, he was definitely showing his emotion now. Her breath hitched in her throat as more tears threatened to spill. After William, she looked for Jason – then she _really_ had to stop the sob. 

She didn’t know if Sheldon had already given his post-game speech. She was almost sure he did, because Kyle and Brendan took so long, and because she absolutely _knew_ he wouldn’t end the night with what he ended up saying, the only thing she heard him say. “Pack your bags tonight. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

They’d been through a hell of a season. A wonky start. A shitty coach. A coaching change. A loss to their own Zamboni driver. A fucking worldwide pandemic. A bubble. The media was _never_ on their side. And—

“Go to the media room, see how the conversations are going,” Brendan said, his voice low. “Send Morgan and John out as soon as possible, then make sure the media know about their future availability. We have to speak to the team.”

She furrowed her brows at him. Why would he banish her from the locker room so he could talk to the team? “What are you gonna say?”

“What’s it to you?”

He heart froze. So he was angry. And he was taking it out on her. “Fine,” she huffed. “I thought we were a team, but I guess not.”

***

Nobody ate when they got back to the hotel. There was no point. Everybody just disappeared back into their rooms, probably to pack, probably to wallow in their own self-pity for the night until they had to leave tomorrow and face the world, probably to just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling for hours. Aberdeen knew that’s what she would be doing.

Well, after she got to the bottom of _one_ thing.

“What did Brendan and Kyle say to you guys?” she asked William on the phone.

“I can’t tell you.”

She furrowed her brows – not like he could see her. “What? You can’t tell me?”

“I can’t tell you,” he repeated. “It stays between us. In the locker room.”

“I…you’re being serious.”

“Of course I am. It’s…I can’t tell you.”

Aberdeen knew she wasn’t going to get it out of him. She’d have to give up. Not that she wanted to. “Well, I love you. I’ll always love you,” she said instead, changing the subject. “I’m sorry things didn’t go the way we all wanted them to.”

“I am too. This fucking sucks.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. She rose up immediately from her bed. “Please tell me that’s not you,” she said. “We’re leaving _tomorrow morning_.”

“What’s not me?” William asked, confused.

Aberdeen stopped. She took her phone off her ear. “Who is it?” she asked out loud.

“It’s me,” she heard Brendan’s voice from the hallway.

She threw her phone dramatically across the room and onto her bed. She threw it so violently it almost hit the wall. “Let me get my mask!” she called out, grabbing one from the dresser before hooking it onto her ears. She took a deep breath before she opened the door. When she did, Brendan walked straight into her room. She was shocked. “You’re coming into my hotel room?”

“Oh fuck it, we’re leaving tomorrow morning,” he mumbled, waving off her concern. The door shut behind her as she walked into her own room gingerly, watching Brendan pace back and forth. He stopped when he noticed her. “I want to apologize for what I said to you today after the game,” he said. “It was out of line.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“There are just some things that need to be said to the team _only_ Aberdeen. Meaning the _players_. You’re part of the team but it’s—it’s—”

“Don’t worry. I get it.”

Brendan stopped, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “For my entire life I’ve wanted this team to be successful. My entire life. I was born two years after their last Stanley Cup win. And growing up, I _adored_ this team. And when I was a player – it didn’t matter that I was a Red Wing. I love them, too, but in a different way. Not the way I love the Toronto Maple Leafs. And when I was given the opportunity to be the president, I made sure I would never take it for granted. And I made sure – I made a promise to myself – that I would be the one to see this team to victory. And every time that we don’t get to that victory, I break that promise,” he said. Aberdeen understood completely. “None of… _this_ is about you, of course. This is about the team. This is about promises that we make to each other. Promises that we make to _ourselves_. Promises we make to get better, to succeed, to climb that mountain and get to the promised land. This is about the integrity of our character. The pride we have in this hockey club, to put on that Maple Leaf every night.”

Aberdeen stayed silent. Brendan was bearing his soul to her. Every word he was saying was impassioned and coming directly from his heart. She didn’t _want_ to speak, because there was nothing she could say. She watched as he took a few steps forward and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re part of this team, Aberdeen. I think you always will be to these boys. You were the soul of this team this year.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”

“I do,” he said confidently. “I know so.”

“How do you know?”

“Because their soul is hurt right now, but it hasn’t died,” he said. “It’s still there. They still have it in them. Just like you have it in you.”

***

**August 10 th, 2020**

Aberdeen stood absent-mindedly off to the side, the bus being loaded with the team’s bags. Some of the boys had already gotten on the bus. She should have gotten on too, but her feet were planted firmly in place for some reason. 

Fifteen days in the bubble. And now it was all over.

“Hey Aberdeen?” she heard Auston’s voice from behind her. She spun around to face him. “I’m sorry we couldn’t do it for you. Like, for your story.”

***

Kasha came to pick up Aberdeen. She brought Minerva in her carrier, who kept meowing at the sight of Aberdeen. Aberdeen took her out and cuddled her against her chest, giving her tons of kisses. 

She watched Tyson do the same to Ralph, wondering if he’d still be on the team next year.

***

When she and Kasha got back into her apartment, Aberdeen went straight to her bed. She plopped down dramatically and only moved when she felt Kasha standing in the doorway. “D’you want to go out? You finally have some freedom,” Kasha suggested. “We can go for tacos, for brunch…”

Aberdeen perched herself up on her elbows. “Do you think I’m the soul of someone? Or some _thing_?”

Kasha looked at her strangely, but answered the question nonetheless. “I definitely think you have the capacity to be for someone. You _know_ I believe in the concept of soulmates. Why do you ask?”

“For who?”

Kasha shrugged, but a small smile appeared on her face. “For William.”

“Why William?”

“Because from the few times I’ve seen you to interact together – like last year, and then at the Halloween party – he looks at you like you already _are_ his soul.”

***

“You should come over for lunch one of these days,” Jason said to her on the phone. “Jen would love to have you over. I’m sure the girls would love to see you too.”

Aberdeen smiled into the phone. Jason Spezza was deflecting. This was not part of their original conversation. “When you’re okay, maybe I will.”

“I’m always okay,” he defended.

“You’re not right now,” she said definitively. There was no beating around the bush. “But you will be. At your own pace. And when you’re good to go, I’ll come over. And you better cook and let me and Jen sip margaritas in the backyard.”

Jason laughed his infamous laugh. “Deal.”

***

**August 11 th, 2020**

“Media blackout?” Aberdeen asked William on the phone.

William nodded his head on the FaceTime call. “Media blackout.”

“I’ll come over tomorrow when Kasha’s back at the office,” she said. “We can cuddle.”

“That’s all I want to do right now, to be honest.”

***

**August 12 th, 2020**

With Kasha going into the office, Aberdeen was able to sneak away to William’s. He let her in easily, without much fanfare, and he enveloped her in a hug and brought her down with him on the couch as they lay their together, every limb wrapped around the other. Aberdeen was running her fingers through William’s hair soothingly as his head lay on her chest. Hockey was still on in the background. Alex was still playing, and William wanted to support him. Aberdeen already knew he’d be calling his brother after the game. 

“I love you so much,” she whispered out of nowhere. She just felt the need to say it.

William looked up at her. “I love you too.”

“That last night at the hotel, Brendan told me I was the soul of the team this year,” she said. His comments were still on her mind. “Do you think that’s true?”

William nodded his head. “I do. I think you’re my soul, too.”

***

The kisses were slow at first. Needy. William _needed_ her. He needed to be comforted. His brother wasn’t around to talk to, and it was the middle of the night in Sweden so he couldn’t call his parents, although Aberdeen was sure they would have picked up the phone if they saw it was William calling in the middle of the night. So until he could speak to his brother and his parents, Aberdeen would be there for him, kissing him as they lay facing each other side-by-side on his couch. There to console him. There to comfort him.

They kissed for a long time. _Such_ a long time. It told Aberdeen that William needed that intimate physical contact, not just flat-out sex, and that he was savouring his time with her as much as she was with him. But who was she kidding? He always did. He _always_ savoured his time with her. It didn’t matter where, or when, or how, or how much they’d lied to the people around them to get some alone time. By the end of it she was sure her lips here swollen and red, and when she opened her eyes to look at his, his were too. So puffy. So soft. In their glory.

She felt his hand dip beneath the hem of her pants and grab the flesh of her ass to squeeze it. She hooked a leg over his torso and could feel his growing erection graze her thigh. She shivered at the feeling, digging her nails into his bicep. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry we couldn’t do it for you and your story. I won’t forgive myself if you don’t get that job,” he revealed.

“Shhhhh…” she cooed, cupping his face and kissing him. “What did I tell you before we got into the bubble, hmm? I love you no matter what happens in there. I love you Willy. I always have and always will.”

“I love you too, minskatt. I need you. Do you need me?”

Aberdeen’s heart fluttered at his question. She nodded her head automatically and gave him a quick kiss. “I need you. I’ll always need you.”

With their pants and underwear pushed down their legs, William slipped himself into her slowly, watching the look on her face change and hearing the long sigh escape her mouth. This is what he loved most about their physical relationship. They could do anything and it would feel like the best time every time. They could have regular sex. They could explore a new position. They could have rough, passionate sex like that night in the bubble. They could have close, intimate sex like right now. Each time was incredible. Each time he loved more than the last.

Each time, William realized how much he needed Aberdeen, and how much Aberdeen needed him. They needed each other.

“You feel so good, Willy,” Aberdeen’s voice brought him back down to earth. The pure euphoria in her voice was music to his ears. “I need you, Willy. _I need you_.”

He moved his hips to thrust into her, and so did she. Their bodies moved together as they always did, and the pleasure they experienced together was paramount to absolutely anything and everything. 

After they both came together, William squeezed his arms around Aberdeen and pressed her against his body even closer than they were before. He nestled his face into the crook of her neck, dragging his lips along her skin until he got to her ear. “I need you more than anything,” he whispered. “You’re my entire life. You’re my entire soul.”

She believed him.

***

**August 25 th, 2020**

Aberdeen was with Camden when the news broke. She was spending the day at her parent’s house because Camden had admitted he missed her, so Aberdeen decided to spend the day. They played video games. They watched Brooklyn 9-9. They went on a bike ride around the neighbourhood with masks on and stopped at a local shop to grab some smoothies. It was perfect sibling bonding time while Siena slaved away in their bedroom studying God knows what for God knows which course come September. 

“Did you see the news?!” Camden asked as he emerged from the smoothie shop with both their smoothies.

“See what?” Aberdeen asked, thinking the worst. 

“Kasperi was traded!” he announced as he handed her the mango smoothie she requested. 

“ _What_?!” she shrieked, grabbing her phone out of her back pocket. She hadn’t looked at it since they went on the bike ride about an hour ago, because she wanted to spend _actual_ quality time with her brother. Now, she saw that she missed the alert from the Leafs app on her phone, and a slew of texts from Willy.

“Yeah. He got traded to Pittsburgh—”

_kappy just called me_

_he got traded to pittsburgh_

_just got told_

_r u around?_

_can i come see u?_

_ok so ur not at ur place…_

_ur not at Scotiabank r u?_

“—for a first-round pick.”

“A _first_?!” she shrieked again. She was shocked. _Shocked_. She didn’t know how Kyle was able to finesse a first-round pick for Kasperi fucking Kapanen. Her mind was in three places at once as she thought about the trade, her brother standing in front of her, and William’s texts. For all his faults and questionable judgement in girlfriends, Kasperi was one of William’s best friends. She knew it would hurt William to see him leave. That’s probably why he was trying to find her.

_I’m at my parents hanging with Cam today. He missed me._

_i know_

_You know?????_

“Cam, I think we should head home,” she said, hopping back onto her bike.

Camden’s eyes lit up. “Why? Do you think Brendan Shanahan will want to call you?”

He was so cute. To think she was important enough that Brendan Shanahan would call her about a trade. She let him think so. “He might…” she said, opening the Leafs app on her phone. “Let’s just go. You lead the way.”

It wasn’t the smartest choice, but as they biked through their neighbourhood back to their house, Aberdeen read the statement on her phone. _PRESS RELEASE -- -- -- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has completed a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, acquiring the Penguins' first round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft (15th overall), forward Evan Rodrigues, forward Filip Hallander and defenceman David Warsofsky in exchange for forward[Kasperi Kapanen](https://www.nhl.com/player/kasperi-kapanen-8477953), forward Pontus Aberg and defenceman Jesper Lindgren_. 

So Pontus was leaving too. Another Swede. Aberdeen wondered if William had a strong opinion on him leaving as well, but she doubted it. She thought about what was going through William’s head as she and Cam continued their bike ride home, but as they turned on their street and they got closer to their house, she noticed a car parked on the street. A very familiar looking car.

“Oh Jesus fucking Christ…” she mumbled to herself. 

“Whose car is that?” Camden asked, speeding up. “Don’t people know they’re not allowed over houses anymore?!”

Aberdeen mentally prepared herself as she and Camden walked through their front door. And that’s when Aberdeen saw him: William sitting on her couch with her mom, mask dangling from his wrist as he held a mug of tea. “There you two are,” her mom smiled. 

“WILLIAM!” Camden screamed as he kicked off his shoes.

“Hey buddy,” William smiled as he watched Camden’s face light up. He watched as Camden readied himself to run over to him for a hug but then stopped himself. It made William sad, knowing Camden couldn’t do what he wanted to do. “How are you?”

“I’m good! I’m – do I have to get my mask? – are you staying for dinner – are you going back to Sweden? – are you—”

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down young man,” Orla smiled at her son. “I don’t think you’ll be needing your mask. And yes William will be staying for dinner—”

“—YES!—”

“And no, I’m not going back to Sweden. I don’t want to have to quarantine again. I’m done with quarantining,” William added.

“Me too!” Camden said, exasperated, as he plopped himself down on the couch next to him, sipping dramatically on his smoothie. “I haven’t seen anybody besides _these guys_ since March!”

***

Aberdeen was sure William was a near-perfect human being when it came to interacting with Cam. That afternoon saw them playing street hockey and video games, with Aberdeen even leaving them alone together while she helped her mom make dinner. When Mirza came home from work and saw William, his face lit up. Even Siena was happy to see him, despite her stress from studying. 

Maybe this would make it easier for when she had to tell everyone that they were dating…eventually.

William promised to drive Aberdeen home, which meant Orla and Mirza could escape into their room to sleep and not worry. They gave Cam special permission to stay up well over an hour passed his bed time. It was only when Aberdeen told Cam that he needed to get ready for bed that she and William had their first moments of alone time the entire day he spent at the house.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t talk about the trade. I know you’re probably feeling like shit right now seeing your best friends being shipped off. Are you okay?” she asked as they lay on opposite ends of the couch. 

“Much better now,” he said, his voice soft. “I love your family. They make everything better.”

She smiled. “I think Cam just has so much energy and asks so many questions that it takes your mind off of it,” she giggled slightly.

“That’s part of it, but it’s more than that,” he said. “It’s your mom’s cooking and your dad’s smile and Siena’s, like, _stares_. It’s Cam being so cute. It’s this house and the vibe, like at Christmas. It’s everything.”

Aberdeen couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “For what it’s worth, they love you too.”

“Do you think we’ll have a family like this?”

Aberdeen would have frozen if she was uncomfortable with the line of questioning and what William was insinuating. But she didn’t, because she _wasn’t_. She nodded her head before reaching between their bodies to tickle his fingers with her own in a small, unnoticeable sign of intimacy. “I do,” she said softly.

“I love you, Aberdeen.”

“I love you too, Willy.”

“Aberdeen?” Cam’s voice suddenly rang out as he walked back into the living room with his pajamas on.

Their hands separated quickly. “What is it, Cam?” she asked.

“I saw your name all over hockey Twitter.”

Both Aberdeen and William shot up. “What do you mean?” William asked.

“What the hell are you doing on hockey Twitter, Camden?” Aberdeen asked sternly. “You’re _twelve_.”

“Joey at school has an account and he shares it with me!” he said, as if that would make Aberdeen calm. It just fuelled her anger and made her want to punch a twelve year old boy named Joey. “It was because Saylor Greene talked about you. Who’s Saylor Greene? Does she work with you?” Camden asked.

Aberdeen’s heart fell into the pit of her stomach. William jolted off the couch and typed something into his phone as he walked outside. “Give me your phone,” she held her hand out at her brother.

“But Aberdeen—” he watched William leave to go outside.

“I said give me your phone _now_ ,” she repeated. 

Camden handed it over. She began to scroll through the screen to see the tweets he saw, and read what he’d just read.

_@leafsbabe34: saylor greene is having a meltdown on her twitter about the leafs. she’s a psycho_

_@coolcoolcool: good luck to kasperi Kapanen and his psycho girlfriend in pittsburgh. Pens PR never ever puts up with this type of bullshit so it will be interesting to see what happens to her. Good riddance._

_@amandaaalove44: she brought so much drama to Toronto…bye bye saylor!_

Okay…innocent enough. Aberdeen still didn’t like Camden reading all of this but she didn’t see any mention of her name. How the hell was she being dragged into this? She scrolled some more, reading much of the same tweets, and then she saw it.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Aberdeen’s stomach was in knots as she read all the tweets, all the insinuations, and all the outright accusations. Saylor was naming her without naming her. Any hardcore fan would probably know who she was talking about. Hockey twitter would definitely know thanks to the Blueprint birthday video. She felt sick. She felt sick as she saw Saylor’s replies to everyone’s tweets, calling them out and being downright rude to people she didn’t even know. She was sick as she saw fans commenting on the situation and bringing her name up because they _knew_ it was her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Aberdeen?” Camden’s voice was soft, confused, as he watched his sister furrowing her brows at his phone screen. She looked at him. “I’m sorry I was on hockey Twitter.”

“You have to promise me to never go on there again,” she said. “I mean it Cam.”

He nodded his head. “I was just trying to see what they were saying about William.”

She inhaled. “Now you _really_ can’t go on there again. Not until you’re thirty.”

“Sixteen.”

“Deal. Now come here,” she extended her arms. 

Camden went in for a hug. “Where’d William go?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Let me hug you in silence because you’re gonna become a teenager one day and you won’t let me do this anymore.”

Her phone buzzed from beside her. Brendan’s name flashed atop of a text message. _I’m taking care of it_. And as she continued to hug Cam, she could hear William’s voice vaguely from outside on the deck. _“This is twice now with a girl you’ve dated. TWICE!!!!!”_

***

**August 26 th, 2020**

“How many words do you have left?” William asked as he massaged Aberdeen’s shoulders.

“I’m just editing,” she said, reaching her hand over and placing it on one of his. “I’ll be done within the hour. I promise.”

William bent down to give her a quick kiss. “You got this.”

***

_To: Alec Young [young@torontolife.com]_

_Cc: Beth Zadakis [zadakis@torontolife.com]_

_Bcc:_

_From: Aberdeen Bloom [aberdeenbloom@gmail.com]_

_23:15 08/25/2020_

_Hello Alec and Beth,_

_As requested, here is my 10,000-word report on the NHL Bubble experience. Please note that I have also included photos to accompany the text. I have received express approval from those in the photos that they can be used for this article. If you would like me to send proof of permission, please let me know._

_I hope you enjoy my work and choose it for publication in Toronto Life. I understand that the article may, perhaps, be a departure from what was expected. However, I believe the work speaks for itself._

_Best,_

_Aberdeen Bloom_

***

**August 27 th, 2020**

“So what happens now?” William asked.

“We wait,” Aberdeen said, her breath shaky.


	36. Chapter 35

**August 31 st, 2020**

Aberdeen Bloom was looking into William’s eyes.

They were getting Korean walnut cakes from Hodo Kwaja. They were out in the open. Alone on Bloor Street West, in Little Korea, where no-one would recognize him. He convinced her. She couldn’t hold back anymore. She’d tried so hard and she’d succeeded for _months_ – fuck, the better part of a _year_ at this point – and now, she just wanted to have a date out in the open with her boyfriend instead of having to drive to some park on the lakeshore in Etobicoke to secretly hook up in his car. 

“These better be good,” William said as he looked away briefly at the shop owner making a new batch of cakes behind the glass wall. Even though they were both wearing masks, Aberdeen could tell he was smirking. “When you say bean paste…”

“I _promise_ you,” she stressed. “They’re _amazing_.”

“You wanna bring them to Christie Pitts after?” William asked, reaching for her hand.

Aberdeen nodded. This was the first time he’d reached for her hand in a public place. She’d always remember Hodo Kwaja as the place now. They could never close or tear this bakery down. “We can eat them under a tree or something.”

“Romantic.”

“I try to be,” she said. “Especially with my boyfriend.”

“Especially when we’re out in public.”

She crinkled her face. So did William. He pulled her into his body and wrapped an arm around her. They were silent for a few moments before William decided to speak again. “You should try calling Beth,” he whispered, his voice low. “You said Alec wouldn’t get back to you, but Beth might. She’d let you know whether or not they chose to publish the article.”

A shiver ran up Aberdeen’s spine. “Maybe I’ll email her or something,” she said. “Alec’s silence speaks volumes though. I don’t think—”

“Fuck that guy,” William interrupted. “Call Beth. Call her. Maybe she rooted for you.”

The shopkeeper handed Aberdeen the brown bag full of walnut cakes, and she paid for them. She grabbed at William’s hand and their fingers intertwined before leaving the shop. “I just think I would have known by now,” Aberdeen mused. “I mean, the new issue will hit newsstands _soon_. Usually they’d tell the writers.”

“Call her,” William urged. “You’ll never know if you don’t call.”

They walked down the street hand in hand. It was dusk outside, the hot and humid air of the city finally giving way to a nice breeze that cooled everything down. Aberdeen’s dress swayed back and forth as they walked towards Christie Pitts, switching subjects to the next bakery they should try. William made Aberdeen laugh recounting the story of how much Cam loved the Swedish pastries he brought the family during his surprise Christmas visit. Aberdeen’s heart swelled when William brought her hand up to his lips and kissed where the ring was – the ring he got her, which she’d been wearing ever since. 

As they passed by all the different storefronts – most closed, saved for a few convenience stores or 24 hour laundromats – they both noticed a loading truck parked by the curb with two men going in and out of it, hauling new magazines and the next day’s newspapers into the shop. William made them stop. He watched them for a few seconds.

“What are you doing?” Aberdeen asked him.

“Excuse me, sir?” he ignored her, instead calling out to one of the men hauling in the newspapers. The man looked at him. “Are those next month’s magazine issues?”

“Of course they are.”

“William—”

“Do you have the new issue of Toronto Life?”

“ _William_ —”

“We’ve got everything in the truck, bud,” the other man said, setting down a huge stack of Vogue magazines all bundled together. “Either you wait or you jump in there yourself to get it. 

William looked between the truck and the men. He let go of Aberdeen’s hand abruptly. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. “William what are you doing?!” she asked as she watched him climb into the back of the loading truck.

“What do you think?!” he called back out. “It’ll be a good off-season workout finding the stack!”

“ _William_!” she repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“Oh! They’re right here! They’re covered but…” he trailed off. Aberdeen held her breath. He emerged hauling a giant wrapped stack – you couldn’t see anything besides the white paper covering it and the plastic ties tying them all together. He jumped off the back of the truck. The two men were just watching him. “You got scissors?” he asked them.

One of them handed him an exacto knife. William cut off the plastic zipties.

“William, _stop_ ,” Aberdeen pleaded. She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to know yet. She had to psych herself up for the inevitable disappointment of not seeing her name on the cover, not seeing her article _anywhere_ in the magazine, and she wasn’t given ample time to do that. She knew William was being _William_ – proud and spontaneous and excited on her behalf instead of riddled with anxiety and doubt and all the bad things one could be riddled by when their dream job was in their midst but definitely out of their grasp because of an asshole editor – but she needed time to process that she was going to be faced with a huge disappointment. She needed time to process that she would have to keep looking for a writing job.

William could hear the fear in her voice. He could sense her uncertainty and her anxiety about it all. He stood up from his crouching position. “Hey…” he said softly, taking a step towards her. He grabbed her hand again and held it in his. “Minskatt, don’t be nervous.”

“I need time to psyche myself up for not seeing my name on there,” she said. She felt her phone buzzing aggressively through her purse but she decided to ignore it. “It’s gonna hurt, Willy.”

He squeezed her hand tighter. “Are you listening?”

The question they’d always ask each other. “Yes.”

“Remember what you told me before and after the bubble? That no matter what happened, you’d love me no matter what?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head. “Whatever happens here…whether you got it or not…minskatt, I’ll love you no matter what.”

His words were so soothing. And as always, they were so simple, but so perfect. They immediately put her at ease despite all the anxiety she was feeling, that had rushed upon her within just minutes. She nodded her head slightly as she squeezed his hand back. “Can I open it?” he asked.

She nodded her head. 

He crouched down again and ripped open the packaging. Aberdeen took a step forward and looked down to see the iconic red rectangle header. And then the headline.

_The Bubble Diaries: Aberdeen Bloom explores the characters, stories, and all-too-real tribulations inside the NHL’s Eastern hub._

Aberdeen’s entire body jolted up, and she let out a short and quick scream as the bag of walnut cakes went flying.

Then she realized what this meant.

And she screamed at the top of her lungs. 

William’s eyes lit up as he heard the shriek – the entire city heard the shriek. He watched as she started jumping up and down through more shrieks before he got up himself. Aberdeen jumped on him – just fully and completely _jumped_ into and onto him – and he caught her expertly in his arms as she shrieked in his ear.

“They did it! THEY DID IT!” she screamed as he set her down. She bent down to pick up a copy of the magazine and shrieked again as she held it in front of her. Maybe this was a fever dream. Maybe she was delirious. Maybe the gratuitous walnut cake the bakery gave her to try before ordering was laced with some hallucinogenic and she was imagining things.

No. That was _her_ name attached to the article. That was _her_ name on the cover of Toronto Life magazine.

“You did it, minskatt,” William said as he reached up to her face to pull her mask down, planting a giant kiss on her lips. The energy was radiating off of her. She was a ball of sunshine, a star radiating energy bigger and better than anything in the universe. “You did it. I’m so proud of you.”

“I can’t believe it! I can’t – oh – oh my GOD Willy!” she was still shocked. “I—they—I’m published! I’M PUBLISHED!”

“Your name is on the cover of a damn magazine, minskatt!” he giggled. 

“ _My name is on the cover of a damn magazine_!” she repeated more emphatically, kissing him again. “I can’t – I – oh my God – oh my God my phone is…” she trailed off, feeling her phone buzzing violently from her purse again. 

She pulled it out and saw Beth Zadakis’s name flash across the screen. She immediately picked up. “Beth!”

“Surprise,” she practically purred into the phone. “I’m assuming you saw it just posted on our website? Alec was overruled. He knew he would be. The way you wrote about the boys, Aberdeen…there’s no way we couldn’t publish it.”

“Thank you. _Thank you_ ,” she stressed, putting her hand over her heart. “From the bottom of my heart Beth, _thank you_.”

“You should celebrate, Aberdeen. We’ll discuss the logistics of your new position with Toronto Life later,” she said. “It’s not every day that a novice writer gets the lead cover story. Pop a bottle of champagne. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Aberdeen hung up. She looked into William’s eyes.

She did it.

***

**September 4 th, 2020**

Aberdeen walked into the MLSE offices like she was going to work. Except she wasn’t. 

Brendan had called her in for one last meeting. He didn’t say it would be their last, but both of them knew it would be their last. It was bittersweet, of course. Aberdeen had walked these halls for a year. She’d walked in on the team nearly naked on her first day. She’d tried to pick up a hockey bag and fell over. She’d taken countless calls from very important people she had no idea existed before this job. She’d gotten called out by her boss for being an idiot. She’d walked Niklas Lidstrom through the halls to impress her boss. She’d waited countless hours for jersey proofs. She’d made friends. She’d made enemies. She’d learned the game of hockey. She’d travelled countless miles up and down the steps and up and down the elevators to the ice, to the locker room, to the offices, and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. 

She ran into her summertime hookup in the elevator on her first day. She’d fallen in love with him in these hallways.

It all happened here.

When she approached the doors of Brendan’s office, and looked at her desk – well, now her _former_ desk, she felt her heart flutter. This was it. She stepped into the doorway and saw him looking out his window. She knocked.

He turned around, giving her the proudest smile she’d probably ever received from a boss. She took off her mask so he could see her smiling too. “Hi Brendan.”

“Aberdeen. Sit,” he nodded towards the chairs. This was where she cried and told him she’d been sexually harassed in the kitchen. This was where he fired Ethan. This was where he’d bared his soul to her after the Leafs lost to a Zamboni driver. She took a seat.

“I’m so incredibly proud of you,” he said after looking at her for a few moments. “What you’ve been able to accomplish in a year is outstanding, Aberdeen.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank you,” she began. “You had the biggest role to play in this by setting up that meeting in the first place. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for you.”

Brendan shook his head. “I didn’t write that article, Aberdeen. _You_ did,” he said sternly. To think that he had the faith in her to put the meeting together in the first place, knowing she could pull it off, spoke volumes. He was definitely her most powerful supporter. “I keep reading and re-reading it and I find new things to admire every time.”

She smiled humbly. “Thanks.”

Brendan paused for a moment. “You know, Aberdeen…most people would have sold us out,” he said. She nodded her head, understanding what he was getting at. He knew – he knew the demands Alec put on her. Beth must have told him, because she certainly didn’t say a word about it. “It…it speaks absolute _volumes_ to your character that they demanded that scoop for you but you refused to give it and instead relied on your talent to get you the job anyway.”

She nodded. She could read between the lines. “Thank you.”

“You’ve got some fucking guts on you, kid.”

They both giggled. “I guess being around some gutsy hockey players did me some good this year,” she joked.

“I’ll say,” he said. “All the boys know. They love it.”

“I know. I got texts from pretty much all of them. Travis sent me a picture of his dogs reading it too.”

“That last night in the bubble, when I told you that you were the soul of this team, I meant it,” he said. “And I don’t think…I don’t…well, I don’t think it was a big secret that William had a thing for you since that first day in the elevator. And I know…well, I think we’re all aware the feeling is mutual.”

Aberdeen gulped. She felt like she already died and got rigor mortis in that tiny amount of time. So they were going to go there. Brendan was bringing it up with absolutely no shame. On her last day. Last meeting. She looked him in the eye. “Am I safe to assume that nothing happened between the two of you in the year you were here?” Brendan asked. 

She could do it right now.

Be honest. 

She was leaving, after all.

And she had the job already. 

She looked Brendan right in the eyes. 

“No sir,” she shook her head. “I…it was clear to me at the beginning too, and…and the feelings _did_ grow on my end as well, I will admit that.”

“So the feeling _is_ mutual, then.”

“Yes sir.”

“And I’m also correct to assume that once you leave these doors and employed by Toronto Life, you two will get together?”

She was already lying to the man she respected most in this world; there was no use in lying even more. “Y—Yes. I—I…” she hesitated. She took a deep breath. “William waited for me, Brendan. He _waited_ for me this entire time. I don’t want to make him wait any longer. _I_ don’t want to wait any longer, either.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what she was expecting, but she definitely wasn’t expecting Brendan to smile. “Understandable,” he said. “I could see it at the Christmas party – William’s crush on you. And I kept wondering to myself if he ever…well, you know, _acted_ on it. _Told_ you, at least.”

“Didn’t need to tell me. It was pretty apparent,” she smiled slightly. “He wears his heart on his sleeve. Well, at least for me.”

Brendan nodded his head. There was a moment of silence between them. “You’re welcome here whenever you want,” he said. “In this office, in the arena, in the back – _whenever_. You’re family now, Aberdeen. And you’ll always be family. I’ll make it a clause in the contracts all the future presidents sign that Aberdeen Bloom can come in and do whatever she wants in this building.”

She giggled slightly. “Who are you kidding? You’ll be the president of this hockey club ‘till the day you die. Tanenbaum won’t let you leave. There won’t be any others.”

“Are you going to write my biography when it’s time?”

“If you let me.”

Brendan stood up from his chair. He extended his hand across his desk. Aberdeen hadn’t touched another human being since March 13th besides her family and William. She extended hers to shake his hand. “Aberdeen Bloom, my Etobicoke girl, it’s been a pleasure,” Brendan was proud, so proud of her.

“Brendan Shanahan, it’s been an honour,” she replied. 

He side-stepped around his desk, and Aberdeen knew what was coming. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to leave the offices without one. It was another thing that she’d only given to her family members and to William since March 13th – a hug. But in that moment, she wrapped her arms around Brendan, and he wrapped his arms around her, and they hugged each other tightly. Aberdeen could smell his cologne. She heard him sniffle. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t start crying as well. “Thank you, Brendan,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome.”

She sighed. When he let go of her, he kept his hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her. “William’s coming to pick you up?” he asked. She smiled and nodded her head. “Jason’s around the building somewhere. For negotiations. You should find him. He’ll want to see you before you leave.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. “I’ll find him.”

She left his office, closing the door behind her. She felt a heavy feeling in her heart, knowing it would be the last time she’d exit Brendan’s office, no longer his executive assistant. Now, she was a writer at Toronto Life magazine. And before she could process that thought, she had to find Jason.

As she wandered through the building, popping into rooms and asking whoever she saw if they knew were Jason was, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket and knew, like a sixth-sense, that it was William. She stopped walking so she could look at the message.

_i like this one_

He’d attached a quick video Aberdeen had taken the other night. The video couldn’t have been more than four of five seconds long. In the first second, the video showed hands being held, one hand dragging forward the other. In the second second, the camera panned upwards. In the third second, the video showed the back of a figure, with increasingly long blonde hair, broad shoulders, and a stupidly expensive designer t-shirt on with the CN Tower in the background at sunset. In the fourth second, the head turned, and the face smiled at whoever was behind the camera. It was all a bit blurry. It was all a bit fast.

It was William looking at her.

She promised him she’d post whatever he wanted to her Instagram feed once they could be official, and out in the open, not having to hide anything anymore. He wouldn’t dare post anything on his feed, so Aberdeen would. She understood why. Even now, even though they could be out in the open with their friends and family, with William’s teammates and Aberdeen’s extended friend circle, William wanted to keep their relationship out of the spotlight. Judging by what she’d gone through with the media and what she’d seen herself in the year she worked for the team, she understood completely.

She found the video in her own camera roll, editing the colour tones slightly before uploading it to her own Instagram feed with a simple caption: _< 3_

She continued to look for Jason. And in looking for Jason, her phone kept going off. It was almost annoying, but she knew it was all the guys probably commenting something on the photo. After a particular string of constant notifications when she walked into the trainer’s room hoping to find Jason – which at this time last year would have been filled with shirtless, half-naked hockey players with their thighs and bulges out rolling on foam rollers, but was now empty – she couldn’t help but take her phone out again to see what the hell they were commenting.

_@austonmatthews: FUCKING FINALLY_

_@travisdermott: awwwww s’cute_

_@tysonbarrie4: look at you lovebirds!_

_@rasmussandin: he likes lasagna!!!!! gotta make sure u learn how to make it_

_@1jackcampbell: you guys!!! What a bunch of beauties <3_

_@morganrielly: i second what @austonmatthews said_

_@buzzinb0831: YOU GUYS ARE THE CUTEST_

_@marner_93: finallyyyyyyyyyyy_

_@aleidacasillasandersen: Cute cute cute!_

_@kasperikapanen: cn tower…shocker_

She couldn’t help but smile at them all. Especially Auston’s. That twerp. 

Without warning, William’s name flashed across the screen for a phone call. She immediately picked up. “Hey.”

“Hi minskatt,” his voice was sing-songy. “Did you talk to Brendan?”

“Yeah,” she said, looking down at the floor.

“Was it bittersweet?”

“Mhm,” she nodded her head. “I know this is what I’ve dreamt of for the longest time, but I can’t picture myself _not_ coming into this office every morning during the new season. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around it yet,” she admitted.

“I get it. It’s okay,” William said. “The team’s gonna miss you. Brendan’s gonna get a new assistant and he or she is gonna have some huge shoes to fill.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. “He asked about us, you know.”

“He did?”

“He said it wasn’t a big secret that you had a thing for me since the first day in the elevator. He also said everyone is pretty much aware the feeling is mutual.”

“And?”

“And…he asked if anything had happened between the two of us.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Well I didn’t exactly tell Brendan fucking Shanahan that we randomly hooked up the night of my graduation. And I didn’t exactly tell him we’ve been secretly hooking up and in a relationship since January,” Aberdeen said. “But I told him the feeling _was_ mutual, and that we’d both waited long enough, and the second I walked out of those doors I wasn’t going to make you wait anymore.”

“Okay…” she could hear William exhale. “Okay.”

“I lied to him, Will. I know. I lied to him about the last nine months. Hell, I’ve lied to _everyone_ these past nine months about us being together. About our feelings, about your late-night visits to my hotel rooms and us hooking up. About loving you. About being with you. I’ve lied about everything. _Everything_.”

“ _We’ve_ lied to everyone about everything in the last nine months,” William corrected her sternly. “You’re not alone in this. You _know_ that. _We_ lied to everyone. _We_ kept it a secret. But none of that matters, Aberdeen. What matters is that we get to be open about it now. That’s all that matters. _That’s it_.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. She knew he was right. She collected herself so she didn’t get emotional on the phone. God knows if she shed at least one tear and then found Jason, Jason would automatically be able to tell. “I just have to find Jason to say goodbye and then I’m out of here.”

“I’m actually already waiting outside, so take your time,” William said. “I’ll be here whenever. Take as long as you want.”

“I love you, William.”

“I love you too, minskatt. I’ll see you soon.”

Aberdeen locked her phone. She took another deep breath, replaying the conversation in her mind, before resolving to find Jason. She turned around to keep searching.

Only to find Jason standing a few feet behind her. 

When she saw the look on his face, she knew immediately that he’d heard every single word of the conversation she’d just had. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. No – her heart dropped into the depths of hell. Her breath caught in her throat. She felt like her entire body was on fire. “Jason,” was all she could say. 

“January,” was all he said.

Her hands began to shake. She reached out to him. “Jason—”

“ _Don’t_ ,” his tone was harsh, and his entire arm flinched away from her. She tried to say something but nothing would come out. “Since January, Aberdeen? _January_?!”

“Jason, _please_ —”

“I don’t – I – late night visits to _hotel rooms_?!” his voice kept rising as he verbally began to piece all the information together. “How – how _could_ you?!”

“Jason, I can explain—”

“No! No you _can’t_ explain! There’s nothing to _explain_ in a situation like this! You lied to us! You lied to _all_ of us!” he kept saying, his voice strained. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He couldn’t believe the words that had come out of Aberdeen’s mouth. “Aberdeen, I went to _bat_ for you time and time again. I looked out for you this entire fucking _year_ and _this_ is what you were doing behind my back? Hooking up with William Nylander?!”

“Ja—”

“You _promised_ me, Aberdeen. You promised me that day that guy stalked you that there was nothing happening between the two of you. I took your word for it, Aberdeen. And William – William promised me nothing was going on that night you got stitches. And now you’re telling me this has been going on since _January_?!”

“Since the Night With the Blue and White,” she said, voice strained, tears welling in her eyes now. There was no use in lying to him. He was Jason Spezza. “The first time it happened was that night when I got home. When _we_ got home. I can’t – I couldn’t…”

Jason was quiet, but she could hear how heavy he was breathing through his nose. She knew he was trying to calm himself down so he didn’t blow up at her. At this moment in time, though, she wasn’t so sure he’d be able to do it. “I can’t believe you’d do this to the team. To _me_. To _Brendan_ ,” he stressed. His voice was calm. Eerily calm. “I never want to speak to you again.”

Aberdeen’s cheeks flushed red with emotion almost instantly. No. It couldn’t end like this. It _couldn’t_. She tried reaching out to touch him again, but he flinched once more and took a few steps back to distance himself from him. “Jason—no—please—let me explain—”

His next words cut Aberdeen like a knife. He looked her dead in the eye. “I’ve never been more disappointed in you.”

A sob escaped her and she covered her mouth, but it was no use. Tears were streaming down her cheeks like Niagara Falls and her heart was sliced into a million pieces as she watched Jason turn around and walk out of the room, not bothering to look back at her. 

What hurt most of all was that so much love goes into disappointment. Someone can still love you but be disappointed in you and that was infinitely, _infinitely_ worse than someone hating you. It hurt so much more. Jason wasn’t wrong when he said he’d looked out for her this entire year. He wasn’t wrong when he said he’d went to bat for her this year. He’d done all those things out of love, because he cared for her, because he wanted to see her succeed in an environment that was, historically, not kind at all to young women. He’d done it to look out for her, to make sure she didn’t get hurt, to make sure she got where she wanted to go.

Jason Spezza was disappointed in her. And that hurt more than anything else.

Aberdeen sat down in the middle of the room and began sobbing.

***

William was scrolling through his phone when he noticed Aberdeen walking speedily towards his car. He unlocked the doors and slipped into the passenger seat, taking off her mask and throwing it onto the dashboard.

He immediately saw that her entire face was red, and her eyes were practically bloodshot. “What happened, minskatt?” he asked.

She looked like she was going to cry again. She turned her head towards him. “Jason overheard our conversation.”

William stopped breathing momentarily. “So he knows.”

She nodded her head, face scrunching up to stop tears from falling. “He said he never wants to speak to me again. And he said he’s never…he’s never been more disappointed in me.”

“Hey—hey, c’mere,” he said, grabbing her chin and leaning over the centre console to give her a loving kiss, feeling the tears stream down her face. He continued to kiss her for as long as he could. “It’s gonna be okay, minskatt. It’s going to be okay.”

“No it’s not,” she shook her head vehemently. “It’s _not_ going to be okay. It’s _not_.”

“Yes it will. He’ll get over it.”

“No he _won’t_ ,” she was steadfast. “He _hates_ me William, and he never wants to speak to me again and he’s _disappointed_ in me. He’s _not_ gonna just get over me lying to him for the past nine months.”

“ _We_ lied to him,” William clarified for her again, like he did on the phone. “ _We_ lied. He’ll be madder at me than you. He’ll get over it. It’s going to be okay.”

Aberdeen shook her head. She _wanted_ to believe him – she really did, but her mind was all over the place right now. “But what if it’s not?” she asked.

“Are you listening?” he asked.

She visibly calmed down at the question. “Yes.”

“It’s going to be okay because I love you, minskatt. Because we love each other.”

She nodded her head. He loved her. She _knew_ he loved her, and that he would for the rest of their lives. And she’d love him too. That brought her more solace than anything. “I love you too, William.”

He gave her one last, long, lingering kiss before he put the car in drive. He fiddled with his phone to start the music, the opening notes of “Quitting You” by the Arkells playing through the speakers. He grabbed Aberdeen’s hand and held it in his enormous one, bringing to his lips and kissing it tenderly and holding it against his heart momentarily before settling it on his lap. She looked out the window at 50 Bay Street, saying goodbye.

She looked at William. The man she loved.


End file.
